‘I’m just so thirsty’ says burn injury victim

In our San Francisco Personal Injury Law Blog, we share the fact that those that are harmed by another’s negligent can seek compensation for their injuries, lost wages, medical bills and other damages. While a lot of personal injury cases focus on negligent actions, a victim of intentional actions can file a claim as well. Take a recent situation in which a woman suffered serious burn injuries.

This woman’s story started on a Tuesday morning that initially began like any other Tuesday on the calendar. She got up, got ready and went to the church where she volunteered. Soon after she arrived, the day took a turn that would change her life forever.

On this day, a man known to struggle with alcoholism walked up to the front doors of the church. He stopped at the front and did something entirely unexpected; he covered himself with gas, lit a match and then walked into the church entirely ablaze. At some point, he had grabbed the woman, transferring gas-fueled flames to her body.

The woman not only fought off the man, who didn’t want to let her leave the building, but she also had the presence of mind to think about reducing the damage from the burns she knew she had probably already suffered. When she exited the church, she began to strip off the clothes that had come in contact with the flaming gasoline.

When emergency personnel arrived, they were shocked at her will to survive. The responders cut off the remaining singed clothes on her body. They were amazed that she could talk to them and tell them exactly what had happened as she was rushed to the hospital, losing consciousness along the way.

It was two days before the woman opened her eyes again. What she craved more than anything was water. “I’m just so thirsty,” she told reporters. Since the incident, her body could only handle intravenous fluids. Although she understands that the road ahead will not be easy, she is grateful that she survived the fire that had taken the life of the church’s pastor.