Man Charged For Allegedly Setting Wife On Fire [Video]
A Georgia man who accidentally set his wife on fire at a gas pump will face criminal charges. According to AccessNorthGa.com, he was apparently taken into custody over the weekend for the October 16 incident.
The terrifying episode in Clarkesville, Ga., was captured on the filling station’s surveillance camera. “A gas station surveillance video… shows the couple standing outside the truck near the gas nozzle when Austin Dawkins appeared to ignite his cigarette lighter and then lower his hand to the nozzle. The video shows flame shooting from the nozzle and burning Jessica Dawkins while Austin Dawkins rushes to remove the nozzle.”
The office of Ralph Hudgens, the Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner, indicated that “Dawkins was fueling his 2002 Ford F-250 at the Gulf Food Mart in Clarkesville when he flicked his cigarette lighter near the gas tank and caused a fuel vapor explosion.”
As a result of being engulfed in flames, Jessica Dawkins, 30, suffered second and third degree burns on her body and was flown from the scene to an Atlanta hospital for treatment. Fortunately, she has since been released from the hospital. Her husband suffered only minor burns to his hands.
As a result of the gas station fire that injured his wife, Austin Dawkins, 37, faces a misdemeanor charge of reckless conduct, the maximum penalty for which is a year behind bars and a $1,000 fine.
In assessing what could have been a deadly situation, The Daily Caller rhetorically asks “What’s a worse idea than playing with a cigarette lighter while pumping gas? Marrying a guy who thinks it’s a good idea to play with a cigarette lighter while pumping gas.”
[thumbnail image credit: Terence Ong]
