Jun 5, 2008 9:05 pm US/Pacific
Woman Lights Self Ablaze After Wedding Called Off
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
An engaged couple called their wedding off during a argument. Then a bizarre twist occurred: the woman caught fire.
"We could hear the patient inside the trailer yelling, 'help, help. I'm dying, I'm dying," said a responding firefighter.
A pile of ashes and the woman's clothes were still burning in the driveway when emergency crews arrived. According to the Nevada County Sheriff's Department, the couple called off the engagement after a series of arguments. Another argument this morning took a horrific turn when they say the 24-year-old woman doused herself with gasoline and lit herself on fire.
"We found her in her trailer in the bath in the fetal position screaming," said Cpt. Bran Amaral, Nevada County Consolidated Fire. "And we found her in her trailer in the bathtub in the fetal position screaming."
The woman was airlifted from Nevada City to the UC Davis Medical Center's burn unit.
The woman was severely burned over 30 percent over her body -- including her face.
"They are life threatening burns," said Cpt. Amaral.
"They keep to themselves," said Jack Rodden, neighbor.
A wave and hello is about the extent of communication between the family and people who live nearby, but their story is something that has been discussed.
Neighbors say this is a family that has been deeply affected by tragedy. They say the woman's mother died of cancer a few years ago and the brother drowned in a local lake. The family doesn't live in the large dilapidated home on the property; instead they stay in the trailer.
Sympathy is going out tonight for a family that already endured so much.
"They've had troubles all...ever since. That's too bad if it's her," said Rodden.
The Sheriff's Department says no charges are going to be filed in this case. But they are going to make sure both the woman and man receive counseling.
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