Star Wars fans burnt by petrol-filled 'light sabre'

http://www.telegraph ^ | 24/05/2005

[TheOtherOne]

Star Wars fans burnt by petrol-filled 'light sabre'
By Stewart Payne
(Filed: 24/05/2005)

A man of 20 and a girl aged 17 were engulfed in flames when a home-made Star Wars "light sabre" exploded and showered them with burning petrol.

Mark Webb and Shelley Mandiville are thought to have filled a fluorescent tube with fuel to imitate the weapons in the latest Star Wars film Revenge of the Sith, released at the weekend. But their clothing caught fire and Mr Webb suffered 40 per cent burns.

Firemen were called to woodland near Hemel Hempstead, Herts, on Sunday and found them on the ground. Police think they had been filming themselves.

Last night they were in a critical condition at a specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex.

[Viking2002]

Well, one time when we were teenagers, my buddy set both his ass and the carpet on fire. It was funny to watch him try to pat out both at the same time. I'll be damned if I tried to help him, though - there are some limits that friendship shouldn't test. And smothering his butt was one of them.

[Popman]

Possible Darwin candidate

Possible???

Anyone filling a fluorescent tube with fuel and play Star Wars "light saber" either is a complete total moron or has a serious mental problem that doesn't understand the concept of danger

[Centurion2000]

I can certainly understand why; too bad she is a flake liberal.

[Centurion2000]

This thread has it all.....burning geeks, nipples and shaved heads.

Who brought the chips ?

[Jonx6]

ping

[M0N0]

This incident was not Star Wars inspired at all. The guy involved is a friend of mine from a homegrown stunt group. Our groups hook up and film stunts together sometimes. The media saw the like-ness between the tube lights and the new Star Wars movie and labelled them 'Star Wars Fans'. I still find it kinda immature that so many people are laughing at this horroific event...

Maybe these newspaper cuttings will make more sense.


http://img226.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture0095vh.jpg

http://img226.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture0101ld.jpg

http://img226.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture0129dz.jpg

http://img226.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture0138yu.jpg

[M0N0]

This incident was not Star Wars inspired at all. The guy involved is a friend of mine from a homegrown stunt group. Our groups hook up and film stunts together sometimes. The media saw the like-ness between the tube lights and the new Star Wars movie and labelled them 'Star Wars Fans'. I still find it kinda immature that so many people are laughing at this horroific event...

Maybe these newspaper cuttings will make more sense.


http://img226.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture0095vh.jpg

http://img226.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture0101ld.jpg

http://img226.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture0129dz.jpg

http://img226.echo.cx/my.php?image=picture0138yu.jpg

[t_skoz]

I hope your friends are OK, but damn... are they stupid or what?

[Lazamataz]

Idiots! Even disregarding the stupidity of waving a glass tube filled with flammable hydrocarbons around, the phosphor coatings on the inside of fluorescent tubes are highly toxic!

Oh, that sucks! I've been using it as a tangy burrito seasoning!!!

[Lazamataz]

Fake "I wuz there" Boy troll alert.

[Sloth]

I still find it kinda immature that so many people are laughing at this horroific event...

Uh, yeah... These brain donors fill light tubes with gasoline & set them on fire, but we're the immature ones.

[Lazamataz]

I still find it kinda immature that so many people are laughing at this horroific event...

I laugh at your moronic attempt to pretend you know jack s**t.

[Sloth]

Well, he (or somebody) went to the trouble of scanning newspaper articles about it, so maybe he's legit... then again, having friends this dumb isn't something I'd brag about, even if it was true.

[Lazamataz]

Well if he's legit, it's a damned shame, because he's about to get zotted.

It's BS dude. No way does someone show up here and their FIRST posts are claiming this sort of stuff. We've got a persistant "I wuz there" troll who makes like he or she is related to someone in EVERY news event.

[Lazamataz]

Hey, Old Sarge: Come here with your folks, cuz we got a live one here!

[ZinGirl]

I feel a disturbance in the force torch.

[Lazamataz]

Who is the keeper of the Viking Kitty list? I call BS on this troll!

[azhenfud]

I fail to understand why they filled a neon light tube with 'petrol'. What were they hoping to accomplish?

They were hoping to become the next Dark Vader?

[TXnMA]

AH! That explains many things... '-)

[ZinGirl]

who is it these days? mmmm...meek something?

my BS threat level is on at least ORANGE....possibly even Burnt Sienna...