Witnesses told police and emergency personnel that a man, later identified as Kenneth Patrick Turvey, doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire about 4 a.m. Friday morning behind the Holiday Inn Express in Corbin
Corbin Police confirmed the incident was an attempted suicide in a press release to the media Friday afternoon.
Police, Fire and emergency personnel were called to the parking lot behind the Holiday Inn Express near exit 25 off of Interstate 75 about 4 a.m. after a hotel employee found Turvey, 42, of Pevely, Mo., on a dirt road behind the hotel.
Sam Smith, the night auditor at the hotel, said he came out the back door of the hotel to check the parking lot.
"I could see a fire on the hill and could hear him (Turvey) screaming," Smith said.
Smith added that he ran back the path next to the hotel’s dumpster where he saw Turvery laying in a ditch.
"He screaming at me to let him die," Smith said. "I grabbed mud and water from the ditch and started putting it on him," Smith said, adding that he kept telling Turvey to remain on the ground and that help was coming.
Smith said Turvey’s body was charred black from the burning gasoline.
"Part of his ear was gone and his skin was falling off his body," Smith said.
Despite the pain and the injuries, Smith said Turvey got to his feet and began walking toward the hotel.
"I was talking to him, telling him to sit down and that help was coming," Smith said, adding that he had been on the phone with a 911 dispatcher.
Smith said Turvey finally sat down on the sidewalk behind the hotel, after which Corbin Police, Firefighters and emergency personnel arrived.
Emergency personnel said they wanted to fly Turvey to the University of Kentucky Medical Center, but were unable to do so at the time because of dense fog. Turvey was taken to Baptist Regional Medical Center and was later airlifted to UK with burns to 99 percent of his body.
Officials at UK said Turvey is in critical condition.
Firefighters said they extinguished several small gasoline fires on the property. The charred ground was visible Friday afternoon.
Corbin Police Sgt. Shannon Jones is continuing the investigation.
