Given worst case scenarios, there are few worse than losing an engine on take off in a Cessna 310 that I'm guessing was full of fuel.
He almost got it back on the runway, too.
Did the 310 just go through an annual or have some maintenance done?
With only a pilot and one passenger on board it was well under gross weight and would fly most happily with one engine. I suspect one of two things, the engine that was still running was not producing full power or very poor airman ship.
ps
Do not turn into your dead engine!