Man attempts suicide by lighting himself on fire

[97'Scort]

This is a little freaky, seeing as it happened about a 5 minute drive from my house... O.o

http://www.canada.com/health/lights+himself+fire+outside+Victoria+hospital/2327259/story.html


A man turned himself into a human torch Thursday, lighting himself on fire outside a Victoria hospital.


Saanich police Const. Paul Lamoureux said the 23-year-old set himself ablaze in a parking lot in front of the entrance to the Royal Jubilee Hospital parkade in the afternoon.


The man was in critical condition Thursday night. His identity was not released and an investigation was underway.


“We don’t know why,” said Lamoureux. “He brought gasoline to the site and doused himself with gasoline and lit himself on fire.”


Witnesses said the man’s screams attracted attention of those nearby, including construction crews.


“It was just at break time so a lot of men saw it,” said construction worker Daniel Carlos.


He said he and about four nearby workers grabbed fire extinguishers and ran out. Carlos said the flames were “four to five feet off the top of his head, totally engulfed in flames.

[nonlinear]

lighting himself on fire right in front of a hospital? i wouldn't call that a suicide attempt - more like a cry for attention.

[97'Scort]

Sure he did it in front of a hospital, but you gotta be seriously messed up to douse yourself in gas and actually go through with striking the match. He'd be dead in no time just from suffocation.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by nonlinear
lighting himself on fire right in front of a hospital? i wouldn't call that a suicide attempt - more like a cry for attention. what a baby :cry:

most people with issues do seek help, just don't know exactly how to go about it.

I'd hardly call lighting yourself on fire being a "baby"...

[flipstah]

When people did this before (self-immolation,) it was to send a message, for protesting reasons:

http://vinpon.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/windowslivewritersomeofthemostpowerfulimagesfromaroundthe-1266a000395-windowslivewritersomeofthemos2.jpg

This guy did it in protest of the treatment of Buddhist monks by the Catholics in Vietnam.

Well, I'm sure we'll hear the reason why. It better not be pro-PETA...

[Ajay]

Didn't this happen in Calgary not that long ago?

In front of Harry Hays because of some immigration thing?

[nonlinear]

someone did it downtown calgary last year, too.

[Tracer2008]

Not the best way to go... The sheer pain as the fire scorches every inch of your body would feel like it would last forever :thumbsdow Isn't there a religion that believes fire is the way to cleanse your soul?

[Tracer2008]

Am liking flipstah's pic of that chick in a Santa hat
:D

[C_Dave45]

My uncle committed suicide that way. He first tried a razor to his throat. That didn't do it. He no sooner got out of the hospital then doused himself in gasoline and lit the match. An off duty fireman saw him on his front lawn and tackled him to the ground and put it out. My uncle lasted two weeks in the hospital, his face swelled up to the size of a basketball. Second and third degree burns to 80 percent of his body finally did it. Left behind a wife and a 10 yr old son. I was 16 at the time. My Mom died later that year from heart failure.
Kinda weird, it, also, was on the Island..in Nanaimo.

[97'Scort]

Honestly, I can't imagine why somebody would want to go through that kind of horror on purpose.

Sorry about your uncle and your Mom.

[CUG]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
My uncle committed suicide that way. He first tried a razor to his throat. That didn't do it. He no sooner got out of the hospital then doused himself in gasoline and lit the match. An off duty fireman saw him on his front lawn and tackled him to the ground and put it out. My uncle lasted two weeks in the hospital, his face swelled up to the size of a basketball. Second and third degree burns to 80 percent of his body finally did it. Left behind a wife and a 10 yr old son. I was 16 at the time. My Mom died later that year from heart failure.
Kinda weird, it, also, was on the Island..in Nanaimo. Fuck man.. sorry to hear all of that... :S

[Dumbass17]

lol

[chkolny541]

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa149/chkolny/IMG_0154-1.jpg

3rd degree to my arm a few weeks ago

i cannot imagine THIS all over my body

[97'Scort]

Holy crap man. Looks like you were holding something and it exploded?

[phil98z24]

Originally posted by nonlinear
someone did it downtown calgary last year, too.
.

[g-m]

^ouch

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by phil98z24


Yah, he did it the same way with a gas can and a lighter. Anyways, I was the first officer on scene for that, and it was not pretty. Over the course of that investigation, I got a good glimpse into the psyche of people who light themselves on fire.. and it's very different from most suicidal people.

Wow Phil, what a terrible thing to have witnessed so closely. With my uncle it was probably due to the fact he did an enormous amount of drugs. coke, heroin etc. often hallucinating for days in a row.

[derpderp]

.

[l.swan]

This man was my friend. I have knowen him since we were babies.
He was a wonderful artist, musician and free spirit.

To all those saying he was a coward, you would not be saying that if you ever met him, even for just a minute.