Two Men Seriously Burned After Lighting Fireworks In Vehicle

WFTV.com ^ | June 29, 2004

[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.

[Calvin Locke]

Doubt it unless the firework was in the ashtray.

I was coming back from a road trip. The guy next to me in the back seat was flicking his cigarette butts out the sun-roof.

Or so he thought. As evening turned cool, the driver cranked the sun-roof closed, dumping a bunch of smoldering cigarettes
all over the place, including his lap.

Dang French Peugots...

[jriemer]

Hold Muh Rocket.....

Last known photo of car's owner

[justshutupandtakeit]

Just how does one manage to stay in a car long enough to get burns over 90% of their bodies. They should have exited within seconds if in possession of working brains.

[The South Texan]

And the winner is.............

[OSHA]

Case of Beer $24.00
Back seat plumb full o' farwerks. $300.00
Cigareaet to light the bottle rockets to throw out the winder 3 cents.
Free fireworks show for the local Police and Fire and Rescue teams.....PRICELESS!

[yukong]

You are somewhat correct. Having suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns from an accident about 18 years ago, I can tell you that there is nothing worse. I had about 20% coverage. At first, the 3rd degree didn't hurt at all. In fact, I didn't even know that I was burned in the 3rd degree spot. It was on the back of my leg and I didn't even feel it. The doctor asked me if the "big burn on the back of my thigh hurt much" and I said "what big burn"...and I'll never forget the highly educated, medical response that I received from him upon my reply of "what big burn".... He said..."uh, oh". You never want to hear your doctor say "uh, oh". Anyway, the 3rd degree didn't hurt for the first day or so...until they started the aggressive debridement procedures. Then it and the rest hurt like crap. I had some other 3rd degree burns, but not to the point of nerve destruction. Anyway, all burns are horrific. No one, who has never suffered through them will know the extent of that pain. Almost unbearable. Twice a day for the next several weeks I had to undergo the debridement/cleaning of the wounds and removal of the dead tissue. And at each instance, the orderlies would have to physically restrain me because each time, I would want to kick the doctor's ass because of the pain. You can will yourself all you want to not fight back, but when something hurts that bad, your just instinctively fight back. So they would get these big brutes and hold me down for the treatments.

But, ultra severe 3rd degree burns don't cause much pain once the cause of the burn is extinguished. The nerves are destroyed. The cause of death in these instances are dehydration and infection.

[dennisw]

Ain't Darwin unless he's daid! Or got his package singed off.

[reagan_fanatic]

"Hey Guido, put a rocket in his pocket..."

[Charles Martel]

Doubt it unless the firework was in the ashtray.

More likely, as the article speculates, it was sparks from a lit firework of some sort. These geniuses might've been dropping lit bottle rockets out the window or something. That "fast fuse" will bite you eventually. Anyone who watched the Roadrunner cartoons has seen this scenario before. That must've been one heck of a large box full of fireworks to result in burns of that severity, over such a large percentage of body area.

There was a local accident a few years ago when two crewman preparing a professional fireworks display were charred inside their van. These guys had worked in the pyrotechnics field for years, but something set off one of the "artillery shells", which set off all the rest. The entire fireworks show, which usually lasts fifteen or twenty minutes, went off inside that van. All in about 30 seconds to one minute.

[alisasny]

90 percent burns,,,chance of darwin soon

[dennisw]

Wuz alcyhol involved? Well golleeee.

[diamond6]

Oh my God, what happened Chad?

[alisasny]

Whenever I see a true burn victim I count my blessings....

I had a car bang up many years ago and went to therapy and I felt like such a loser when the guy at table next to me had burns all over.

[Charles Martel]

Dang French Peugots...

Hmmm... you sure it wasn't a Renault Fuego?

[cinFLA]

Doubt it unless the firework was in the ashtray.

Why? I once got a cig butt in my window thrown from the car ahead of me. It was still burning.

[NautiNurse]

Glad you have a good ending to your story. As I mentioned to Chad earlier, I have the most profound respect for nurses who work in burn units.

[Michael.SF.]

Actually, 3º burns are essentially painless--the nerve endings are affected. 1º and 2º are painful.

Not sure if you are simply making a statement or referencing the two men who are the subject of the story. But the article does not mention if the burns were first, second or third degree. I would guess they varied from one to the other.

[2Jedismom]

Nurses that specialize in burns are a special kind of nurse...like a pediatric nurse.

I'm not one of either. I just couldn't stand it, I don't think...my heart would just break.

Head trauma rehab was my thing.

[Calvin Locke]

you sure it wasn't a Renault Fuego?

Positive. One of my then housemates' car. Probably an early seventies model. This wa early 80s.

[Old Professer]

Most of the people I know who light fireworks use a cigarette.