Khaberni - A teenager set fire to his peer inside a motorcycle repair workshop in the Turkish city of Antalya, after a simple dispute between them turned into a tragedy that ended with serious injuries and a double lawsuit against the perpetrator and the employer.
In detail, a 16-year-old boy poured gasoline over his 15-year-old colleague’s body while they were inside the oil cleaning room of the workshop, and then deliberately set him on fire.
The surveillance cameras captured moments of horror, as the boy's body was engulfed in flames within seconds and the room turned into a mass of flame, while workers rushed to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers and rescue the victim.
The boy suffered severe burns affecting more than half of his body, and was transported by helicopter to Bilkent Hospital in Ankara, where he underwent a series of operations lasting over six months, including skin grafts covering about 50% of his body.
After being discharged from the hospital, the medical authorities issued a report stating he suffered a permanent disability amounting to 49%.
The victim's lawyer confirmed that the crime cannot be justified as a "prank," but is considered a deliberate attempted murder, calling for the perpetrator to be tried on charges of "attempted deliberate murder" instead of "deliberate assault," and held the workshop owner responsible for the accident for not providing necessary occupational safety measures.
On his part, the victim's father said that his son had fought with the accused a week before the incident, and that the latter had planned revenge, adding: "He poured gasoline on his back and deliberately set him on fire... I will not give up my son's rights until the perpetrator is punished."
As for the accused boy, he denied the intention to harm, claiming in court that what happened was an "unintentional accident," alleging that the fire ignited by accident while he was in the room.
The case is still being considered by the Turkish judiciary, where a criminal trial is being conducted against the teenager, concurrently with a compensation lawsuit against the workshop owner on charges of negligence in safety procedures.
