Police: Tossed cigarette sparked Delaware car fire
PRICES CORNER, Del. (WPVI) -- Police say a tossed cigarette ignited a car fire in Prices Corner, Delaware on Sunday evening, leaving the driver with serious burns.
The incident happened at 6:45 p.m. on Route 141 near Kirkwood Highway.
Investigators say the fire started after the driver, 49-year-old Travis Paul Smith of Elsmere, tossed a lit cigarette out the window.
The wind blew the cigarette back into the car, setting the interior on fire.
Authorities say the vehicle ran off the road and caught fire, trapping the driver behind the wheel.
A passing motorist, in the car with his family, saw the flames and stopped to help.
The Good Samaritan pulled Smith from the vehicle.
Other people, who also stopped, poured water on Smith because his clothes were on fire.
Smith was flown to Crozer Burn Center in serious condition.
