Posted on 06/29/2004 12:33:04 PM PDT by Sweet_Sunflower29
Two men are being treated in the burn trauma intensive care unit of Orlando Regional Medical Center with burns on 90 percent of their body.
The victims are 23-year-old Artavis Walker and 27-year-old Antonio Robinson.
Melbourne police say the men were driving in the area of Carver Street in a Toyota Corolla while lighting fireworks. Detectives believe an ember from a cigarette or a lit firework fell on the back seat and ignited the other fireworks.
The car then caught on fire. Robinson was able to get out of the vehicle a few blocks before the car crashed into a light pole at Carver and Walker Street. Artavis Walker was unable to get out and was in the car when it crashed.
Officers say that fireworks were still shooting out of the car when they arrived on scene. The vehicle was completely destroyed.
Both men are in critical condition.
Maybe someone needs to ping the "BANG! BANG! POP! POP! CRACK! POP! POP! BANG! WHISTLE! POP! BANG!" list...
Holy cats! Missed that on the first read. Man, what a horrible way to go. THE most painful possible way to die is burns.
Stupidity isn't a crime...but it frequently carries a capital sentence as its punishment, without appeal.
Artavis?
Aren't these the guys that tried to use the hair dryer in the shower?
Wasn't that in a movie I saw a while back?
"Hold muh cigarette 'n watch this?"
Just damn.
If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...
My oldest spent a few months in a burn ward... She was one of the lucky ones, however. Seeing some of the other children in there, minus ears, noses, and the like certainly gave me pause... I was there almost 24-hours a day, and sleeping was tough to come by...
In this case, however, these were adults who should have known better, but did it anyway and have now, apparently, paid a heavy price for their stupidity. I won't lose any sleep over these two idiots.
Oops, you caught me. I didn't read carefully enough.
Darwin Awards are in effect. Good luck, contestants!
Or someone bumped the cigarette and it fell into the middle of the fireworks.
another fireworks story from the 2000 Darwin Awards:
Keith, 34, suffered partial decapitation when he peered into the mouth of a launching tube containing what he thought was a malfunctioning aerial firework. The unlicensed pyrospectacular display was to be the grand finale of his party, and in his haste to correct the problem he placed his head directly over the opening.
After a short delay the fireworks exploded, giving both his head and his party an impromptu yet spectacular grand finale.
Have seen fresh crispy critters alert, sitting up and chatting, until the dehydration and infection set in.
Pics of the car available at the link.
Glad to hear your daughter's story had a good ending. I have tremendous respect for nurses who work in burn units. One of the toughest jobs of all.
With burns over 90% of their bodies, they're very likely to pick up their Darwin awards soon.
I agree. Gotta be pretty tough - especially when performing the debridement...
Or a blunt, perhaps?
Opening scene of Cheech & Chong's second movie:
After siphoning gasoline into an open garbage can (this was the late '70s, remember) placed in the back seat, they start driving, and of course, go to lite a doobie up ....
And the other guy responding to me is appalled.
Just remember that you too can develop such an attitude but it takes years of practice.
A true "hey, y'all, watch this" moment.
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