Advocacy & Safety - Bicyclist Catches on Fire and Dies

This happened right here on Long Island, where I live. It has to be one of the weirdest stories I've heard in a while. Spontaneous Human Combustion? Anyone care to speculate?

While riding bike in Bethpage, man catches fire, dies

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-libike136067540mar13,0,3573583.story

Quote:
BY BILL MASON AND MATTHEW CHAYES
March 13, 2009
"An elderly man who was apparently smoking a cigarette while riding his bicycle home died yesterday after his clothes caught fire on a residential Bethpage street, officials said.

Joseph Rusin, 87, of Bethpage, was seen by a passing motorist at noon engulfed in flames and rolling on the ground on the front lawn of a home on Burkhardt Avenue, police said.

The motorist, a FedEx driver, used a fire extinguisher from his truck to put out the flames, officials said..."

Strike anywhere wooden matches carried loose in pocket. Heads rubbed together while pedaling.
Justin

People's clothes catch fire from cigarettes all the time. Doesn't seem very strange to me.

Strike anywhere wooden matches carried loose in pocket. Heads rubbed together while pedaling.
Justin

That could do it, but, you can't buy strike-anywhere matches on Long Island.

How about he had been working on his bike, like many folks do, used kerosene for cleaning the chain, got some on his hands, rubbed it on his shirt, finished and went to test ride his bike, hot ember from the cigarette landed on the shirt... voila. I can't see smoking, much less smoking and riding a bike.

Regardless of how it happened, it is tragic. :(

Smoking is hazardous to your health. If lung cancer doesn't get you something else will.

What a horrible way to die.

Tragic for sure. RIP old rider.

On a much lighter note, while walking to school in the winter one of the guys cupped his cigarette in his jacket pocket to keep his hand warm. Yep, started his jacket on fire. The fact that most of us in our group didn't smoke made it all the funnier watching him yank off his jacket and stomp it out on the ground! :roflmao2:

BIC lighter accident

or just the cigarette could do it, I almost set my garage and my compost pile on fire on two separate occassions with smoldering butts back when I smoked

:eek:

Sounds like to me he didn't "stop, drop, and roll" in the proper order.

Instead, while riding his bike he rolled, once he caught on fire he stopped, and then when fully engulfed he merely dropped.

This being a freak accident surely does not detract from the tragedy of it. It's very sad that he died , very sad.

I remember one other accident like this, it was like thirty years ago. I saw a man at the mall, stuffing a pipe full of tobacco. When he lit it, a piece of burning tobacco fell into his shirt pocket. The fire was confined to his shirt pocket.

When I was in the Navy, we were told that the carrier's flight deck dress code is "cotton only". Cotton does not burn as fast as synthetics, and when synthetic fabrics burn, they melt and stick to the skin. I can imagine it would be very painful to have to have melted plastic scraped off of one's skin, before the burns can be treated.

smoke naked

I'm surprised that I've seen any sympathy at all from the usual jerks here at A&S. I applaud those who have shown their human side with proper condolences.

...and then again, responses like spry's quickly serve to remind you that the precious few on this forum who retain any humanity are overshadowed by the mob of all mouth and no brains.

-Kurt

I can imagine it would be very painful to have to have melted plastic scraped off of one's skin, before the burns can be treated.

I once fell while riding a board track in a rubberized skinsuit. The friction melted bits of the suit into my arse, which hurt exactly as much as you'd think it would. Still have the scar...

This happened right here on Long Island, where I live. It has to be one of the weirdest stories I've heard in a while. Spontaneous Human Combustion? Anyone care to speculate?

While riding bike in Bethpage, man catches fire, dies

http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-libike136067540mar13,0,3573583.story

Quote:
BY BILL MASON AND MATTHEW CHAYES
March 13, 2009
"An elderly man who was apparently smoking a cigarette while riding his bicycle home died yesterday after his clothes caught fire on a residential Bethpage street, officials said.

Joseph Rusin, 87, of Bethpage, was seen by a passing motorist at noon engulfed in flames and rolling on the ground on the front lawn of a home on Burkhardt Avenue, police said.

The motorist, a FedEx driver, used a fire extinguisher from his truck to put out the flames, officials said..."

That is not spontaneous human combustion. That is complete and utter stupidity, that was fatal.

That's how I want to go out: 87, on my bike, in a ball of flames.

That is complete and utter stupidity, that was fatal.

How the hell do you know that it was caused by stupidity?

The article refuses to claim that he was definitely smoking a cigarette at the time, only "probably" - and even then, there is nothing to conclude that the cigarette use was a cause of the fire (enough motorists spill hot ashes on their crotch without burning up in their cage).

For all anyone knows, he might have been splashed with gas by some passing teenage punks and set aflame.

-Kurt

That's how I want to go out: 87, on my bike, in a ball of flames.

LMAO at that one! It must have been the bottle of Bacardi's 151 he consumed before riding.

I actually had a similar incident when I was 16. I was hitch hiking and a pickup truck stopped for me. I put my newly lite cigarette out and put it in my shirt pocket. At about 50 MPH I realized that my shirt was on fire. :eek: I banged on the truck window to get the driver to stop, but it took him about 1/4 mile to back it down, and by then I was sufficiently burned to warrant a trip to the emergency room.

Second degree burns on my nipple got lots of laughs from all involved.

Strange but absolutely true...:roflmao2:

BIC lighter accident

I knew a guy who was sitting in his living room reading the paper, when his dog started acting up and wouldn't behave. After warning the dog verbally w/o results, he threw a BIC lighter at the dog, hitting it in the butt, at which point the lighter exploded like a flash-bang grenade.

There was no damage, but a nice side-effect was that after that, all he had to do was lift his arm like he was going to throw, and the dog would immediately obey.:lol:

If smoking can take so many years off your life, presumably riding a bike had added plenty, 87 seems a ripe old age. Still, horrible way to go, poor feller.

That is not spontaneous human combustion. That is complete and utter stupidity, that was fatal.

I'd have to disagree with this. Smoking while biking isn't complete and utter stupidity. You might say that about smoking. Some people might say that about biking outside a path. But the poor old man definitely won't qualify for the Darwin's by a long shot.

How the hell do you know that it was caused by stupidity?

The article refuses to claim that he was definitely smoking a cigarette at the time, only "probably" - and even then, there is nothing to conclude that the cigarette use was a cause of the fire (enough motorists spill hot ashes on their crotch without burning up in their cage).

For all anyone knows, he might have been splashed with gas by some passing teenage punks and set aflame.

-Kurt

Considering the fact that, spontaneous human combustion while not unheard of, is rare. Also, The fact of his smoking, outright. Finally, Smoking while riding his bike. Smoking on a bike, is just as dangerous(if not moreso) as smoking in a car.

The article does say that his clothes caught fire. The closest fire source was the cigarette.

Not only is ones' senses distracted by the need to hold the cigarette to keep being able to get the nicotine fix. They are distracted by the very need of a nicotine fix in the first place, even before lighting the cigarette.

Drivers who smoke, get no respect from me when, they have lit up and, are pounding on the horn to get me out of the way.

Cyclists who smoke, while riding their bike, don't get any respect from me, either.

Also, The fact of his smoking, outright. Finally, Smoking while riding his bike. Smoking on a bike, is just as dangerous(if not moreso) as smoking in a car.

The article does say that his clothes caught fire. The closest fire source was the cigarette.

Not only is ones' senses distracted by the need to hold the cigarette to keep being able to get the nicotine fix. They are distracted by the very need of a nicotine fix in the first place, even before lighting the cigarette.

Drivers who smoke, get no respect from me when, they have lit up and, are pounding on the horn to get me out of the way.

Cyclists who smoke, while riding their bike, don't get any respect from me, either.

Pompous/Arrogant/Sanctimonious Jackasses don't get any respect from me.

Pretty weird. I don't see a simple cigarette just catching his clothes on fire. My best guess is he may have been drinking some strong liquor and spilt some on himself. And happend to ash his cigarette on to it.

I'm not claiming he was drinking for sure, but from what I have seen if someone is smoking and riding a bicycle my guess is they are on the bicycle because they have absolutely no choice. Either a DUI that took his license or just plain piss poor and can't afford a car.

Sounds like a freak accident. Despite smoking is stupid and it's pretty obvious smoking caused this somehow. I wouldn't classify this as some darwin award. Just crap luck.

Pompous/Arrogant/Sanctimonious Jackasses don't get any respect from me.


Especially when they are unable to write coherently.

According to myth busters wool clothing doesn't burn or melt. Another reason to buy overpriced wool jerseys?

Especially when they are unable to write coherently.

Critiquing improper writing on a forum is pretty lame. Should a person write in third person and use proper MLA format? Would it be improper to use past tense and instead maintain a present tense form of writing?

If a person was to join a forum and write in a style that is seen on text messages and instant messaging services it would be understandable to make fun of their writing style. Same for someone who would come on a forum and write a five paragraph essay with each post. Both are improper for a forum

It's a free freaking form of talk. Seriously, the grammar policing is pretty lame and usually shows you have no real response to a post or thought of someone. I don't spell check when I write and often I'll leave stuff mispelled, even if I catch it because I really don't care that much.

Drivers who smoke, get no respect from me when, they have lit up and, are pounding on the horn to get me out of the way.But do they get respect from you when not smoking and are pounding on the horn to get me out of the way?

Personally, once somebody starts laying on the horn for me to move, my moving stops becoming a priority. I'll go out of my way to be courteous, whatever my vehicle, but once they start being an ass I don't feel the need any more.

As for the cyclist catching fire, aren't most clothes treated to be fire-retardant nowadays?

Is it really that easy for clothes to catch fire?

Critiquing improper writing on a forum is pretty lame. Should a person write in third person and use proper MLA format? Would it be improper to use past tense and instead maintain a present tense form of writing?

If a person was to join a forum and write in a style that is seen on text messages and instant messaging services it would be understandable to make fun of their writing style. Same for someone who would come on a forum and write a five paragraph essay with each post. Both are improper for a forum

It's a free freaking form of talk. Seriously, the grammar policing is pretty lame and usually shows you have no real response to a post or thought of someone. I don't spell check when I write and often I'll leave stuff mispelled, even if I catch it because I really don't care that much.

As far as I am concerned if a person wants his ideas to be taken seriously he will make the effort to present them coherently. That doesn't mean the post has to be perfect in every sense. It just means that if it looks or sounds stupid, that's exactly what most people will think of it. I am probably not alone in simply dismissing posts that read like a second grade book report. I probably miss the occasional gem because of that habit, but on the whole I find that people who can't write well can't think well either.

Simply put, if you don't care about what you've written, how can you expect anyone else to?

Now, maybe we should all get back to the raison d'etre of A&S: making fun of the horrific deaths of fellow cyclists.

Pretty weird. I don't see a simple cigarette just catching his clothes on fire. My best guess is he may have been drinking some strong liquor and spilt some on himself. And happend to ash his cigarette on to it.

The breeze from his bicycle movement may have fanned an ember into an open flame. He lived almost 90 years and was fit enough to ride a bike till the end. Not bad at all. RIP.

I consider my posts poetry and therefore protected under the Poetic Licensing act of 1498BC and not subject to critiques of grammar, spelling, and other forms of writing errors as set down by the international writing community.

Just because someone isn't as educated as you or others on this forum doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. A rocket scientist may not be able to write one coherrent sentence. They can solve math equations that can send people to the moon and back. Yet, if that person came on this forum and explained every detail about rocket science but forgot to capitalize his i are you going to call him an idiot and then state his arguments aren't valid because he didn't use proper subject/verb agreements?

You want to discuss a man who set himself on fire. That's fine no matter how you feel abou this* death. I'm jaded by death and people in general, so I have no emotion about his death. Only thing I'm concerned about is the mystery of why he caught on fire. Not whether I say weather when I meant to type whether but spelled it wether earlier.

*oopsies I made a mistake.

Yet, if that person came on this forum and explained every detail about rocket science but forgot to capitalize his i are you going to call him an idiot and then state his arguments aren't valid because he didn't use proper subject/verb agreements?

No. But if his post reads like a second grader's book report, no rational person is going to believe he is a rocket scientist to begin with. It's nearly impossible to make it in a "grown-up" career without knowing how to write reasonably well.

Again, if you want people to put any effort into understanding what you've written, you need to put some effort into what you are writing. It's not about trivia like the occasional typo, and I'm not even saying that your writing in particular needs improvement. I'm simply arguing that crappy writing usually reflects crappy thinking, and if your posts look like the first draft was in crayon then they'll probably be ignored, at best.

I didn't see anything too bad with his writing (for a forum). Too many commas and little typos but I got the jist of his message. I use to be horrible with semi-colons; I'd use them everywhere; and for whatever reason; I couldn't stop. I never did well in English.

Only time I get annoyed by improper writing (on a forum) is when someone types along the lines of this. i dnt no wat he wuld b smokn 4 it bad 4 ur helth idk wat do u think bff jill.

Personally, I think just prior to being found engulfed in flames, he must have stopped whilst riding his bike to use his ipod touch and a local unprotected wifi router to check up on some internet forum. Furthermore, I'd guess he made a post really fast from his portable device, and made a spelling error, starting a flame war that escalated in moments until it was just too far gone to stop, and it spilled over into a real life fire, ending the life of the man in too much of a hurry to use spellcheck.

I didn't see anything too bad with his writing (for a forum). Too many commas and little typos but I got the jist of his message. I use to be horrible with semi-colons; I'd use them everywhere; and for whatever reason; I couldn't stop. I never did well in English.

Only time I get annoyed by improper writing (on a forum) is when someone types along the lines of this. i dnt no wat he wuld b smokn 4 it bad 4 ur helth idk wat do u think bff jill.

You're right. Compared to, say, the FG/SS forum, his wacky punctuation, tortured syntax, and general disregard for readability is nothing unusual.

But I think the point is that if you are going to post about how stupid somebody is, you ought to put some effort into not sounding stupid yourself. Otherwise you're just inviting ridicule.

It's possible that production of methane gas combined with a lit cigarette could have caused his demise. Several cases have been documented. (Fowler 2)



Works Cited

Fowler, Matt. "Lit cigarettes and Methane Gas: 2000 State
Legislative Update." National Conference of State
Legislatures. Dec. 2000. 9 pp. 27 Feb. 2001

Is it really that easy for clothes to catch fire?

Apparently he was wearing a nylon jacket, and nylon does indeed melt, then catches fire rapidly.

Please folks, remember that a man died as a result of this fire.