Photo: gofundme
WARNING: Story below contains a photograph that depicts achild’s burn injuries
A 6-year-old Connecticut boy has been left with third-degree burns to his face and other parts of his body after his neighbor allegedly set him on fire.
Little Dominick Krankall remains in hospital after suffering horrific burns in what his family says was the result of a bully’s attack on Sunday.
“The kid covered a ball in gasoline, lit it on fire, and threw it at him,” Deegan alleged. “All in the matter of SECONDS. Dom has second and third degree burns on his face and leg. He’s going to be scarred for life mentally and physically.”
Dominick Krankall.gofundme
Deegan said her little brother was playing in the backyard of their home in Bridgeport on Sunday, perNBC New York. She then alleges that an 8-year-old got into a shed on the property and got ahold of gasoline and lighters, and lured Dominick over.
“What he did was pour gasoline on a tennis ball, took a lighter, lit it up and just chucked it right at my brother’s face — and then ran away from him and watched him burn,” Deegan told the outlet.
“I heard him screaming, ‘Mommy help me, they set me on fire,’ " Maria Rua, the boy’s mother, toldABC7.
Preliminary reports show that up to four unattended children were seen playing with gasoline and lighting things on fire Sunday afternoon, and police are now investigating the incident, according to ABC7.
PEOPLE’s request for comment from the Bridgeport Police Department was not immediately returned.
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The boy’s father, Aaron Krankall, told local news outletWFSBthat they expect Dominick to stay in the hospital for about another week, and the community has been nothing short of amazing in supporting the family as Dominick recovers.
“We have people bringing us dinners to my family before I get home so they have dinner. We’ve had relatives and aunts, people coming over, and cousins coming over and helping out. it’s just been amazing,” said Aaron.
“Dominick is doing a little better. Yesterday was the first time he actually was able to get a few bites of food past his extremely swollen lips and into his mouth. He could only handle a few bites, but that is some good news. He will sip soup out of a straw as well,” Deegan wrote in an update on GoFundMe on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday evening, Dominick’s GoFundMe has raised over $142,000 to help cover medical expenses and to help the family find a safer place to live.
source: people.com
