RALEIGH, N.C. — Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson said Saturday that he was treated for burns he suffered when he accidentally touched an exhaust pipe at a truck show while campaigning for governor.
Robinson was making an appearance Friday evening at the Mayberry Truck Show in Mount Airy when he was injured, campaign spokesperson Mike Lonergan said in a statement.
Robinson was treated at Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy for second-degree burns, Lonergan added.
Lonergan referred to a video posted on X in which Robinson, with a bandaged left hand, told supporters what happened.
Robinson said he had been riding in a “big rig” in a show parade. Supporters approached him as he was getting out of the truck, he said, and while trying to avoid running into them, he put his hand on the truck's exhaust pipe.
“It burned my hand, but I am fine,” Robinson said.
Robinson's campaign has been flailing after allegations that he posted inflammatory comments on a porn website. The story led to resignations by some of his top campaign staffers.
Robinson is running against Democratic nominee Josh Stein in the race for North Carolina governor. Robinson has been trailing Stein in the polls with just weeks before early voting begins Oct. 17. Stein has been state attorney general since 2017.
Mount Airy, about 100 miles north of Charlotte near the Virginia border, is where the late television star Andy Griffith grew up. The community served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Mayberry in “The Andy Griffith Show" that aired during the 1960s. City leaders have embraced that history with homages and festivals associated with the show.