A routine stop at a Whithorn gas station turned into a nightmare on Thursday, Feb. 19, leaving a 40-year-old woman, identified by family as Dacia Forrester, clinging to life after she was doused with gasoline and set on fire. Relatives and charity organizers say she has extensive third-degree burns, and a South Florida air-ambulance crew is on standby to fly her to a U.S. burn center. The problem is not logistics, they say, but money, with a steep funding gap still standing between Forrester and a potential transfer.
Graphic cellphone video shows Forrester engulfed in flames, running across the forecourt as bystanders desperately try to put out the fire before she is rushed to the hospital, according to WPLG Local 10. Family members and the Burn Foundation of Jamaica say she suffered third-degree burns to roughly 70% of her body, and relatives have turned to crowdfunding, appealing for donations while doctors weigh whether an overseas transfer could improve her odds of survival.
Stephen Josephs of the Burn Foundation and Crisis Support Charity says Trinity Air Ambulance International in Fort Lauderdale has crews ready to move Forrester to a burn center in Georgia, once the bill is covered. Trinity Air Ambulance promotes rapid worldwide medevac services, and local reporting has pegged the cost of Forrester’s transfer in the mid-five-figure range, with organizers citing roughly US$55,000–$57,000. So far, only a fraction has been raised, and Josephs is urging the public to chip in to close the gap before the window for safe transfer narrows.
What Police Say
Westmoreland police have recorded statements from multiple witnesses and charged a 30-year-old pump attendant, Collate Swaby, in connection with the incident, according to WIC News. Investigators say a dispute over change at the pump spiraled into a physical altercation that ended with Forrester being set ablaze. A case file has been prepared for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and police are asking the public to stop sharing the graphic video while the investigation plays out…