Gas can, cigarette cause car explosion (Darwin alert)

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL ^ | 1-21-04 | RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL

[Atlas Sneezed]

A 52-year-old Reno woman suffered burns to her hand and face after a small gas can exploded in the rear of her vehicle as she tried to light a cigarette, police said. Carol Wall continued driving about a half a block before she escaped from the vehicle. She was taken to Washoe Medical Center, treated and released, a hospital spokesperson said. The explosion occurred about noon near Ryland and Wells avenues.

[Sam Cree]

Not sure if mix is the right word, but it sure is dramatic, anyway.

[Agnes Heep]

Reminds me of a redneck joke: you might be a redneck if you insist on smoking while hunting--after having spent the past three weeks de-scenting yourself.

[martin_fierro]

Oh, you'll looove this story:

Bug-Bomb Explosion Rip House Apart

[al_c]

The lawyers will still find a way to sue the car company.

And the makers of the gas can, the oil company, the gas station and big tobacco.

[Petronski]

Thank you very much, Karl. I was beginning to doubt my own memory of the story, ten years hence, because nobody could be THAT stupid.

BOOM!

[SAJ]

Sorry, your post just struck me right (or wrong, whichever).

I keep envisioning something like a Consumers Report study, saying ''Research has learned that people whose cars are on fire generally stop within X feet. One respondent in the study indicated that, in his experience over 37 trials, his average stopping distance was...''

OK, so I'm a little weird...(G!)

[SAJ]

Just a couple of weeks ago, right here on FR, somebody posted a story about some idiot in Moscow who had bad paint stains on his pants...so he decided to add a liter or so of gasoline to the wash.

KAH-WOOOOM! Blew out all the retaining walls in his apartment, among other things.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

I'm sure it wasn't funny (so why am I chuckling?), but why would she continue driving half a block?

Oh good; I thought that it was only me that had similiar questions!

[Cobra64]

"A 52-year-old Reno woman..."

Was the driver Janet Waco Reno?

[Cobra64]

Ummmmmm How did she set off the explosion? Was the container open?

Yes. She's the same dolt that spilled boiling coffee in her crotch.

[arjay]

Many years ago my cousin opened the nozzle of a propane tank on the ground. He then struck a match to see if it would burn. It did! Fortunately, he was not too badly burned, but he never did it again.