A 6-year-old Connecticut boy sustained third-degree burns to his face and body after his neighbor allegedly set him on fire with gasoline and a tennis ball.
Dominick Krankall remains in hospital after suffering horrendous burns in what his family alleges was the result of a bully’s attack on Sunday.
‘He’s Going to Be Scarred for Life,’ Krankall’s Sister Wrote of Her Brother’s Burns.
“My little brother Dom has been bullied for a while by the tenants downstairs. It escalated to a deadly intent. Dominick, MY 6 YEAR OLD BROTHER could’ve died,” Dominick’s sister, Kayla Deegan, wrote for a GoFundMe campaign she established for her brother.
“The kid covered a ball in gasoline, lit it on fire, and threw it at him,” Deegan claimed. “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.”
Deegan said that her little brother was playing in the backyard of their home in Bridgeport on Sunday, she told NBC New York. She told the outlet that an 8-year-old got into a shed on the property and found gasoline and lighters. Then, the child 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 explained to NBC New York.
“I heard him screaming, ‘Mommy help me, they set me on fire,'” Dominick’s mother, Maria Rua, told ABC7.
Up to four unattended children were seen playing with gasoline and lighting things on fire Sunday afternoon, and police are now reportedly investigating the incident.
Dominick’s father, Aaron Krankall, told WFSB that he anticipates that his son will stay in the hospital for about another week. He also told the outlet that the community has been nothing short of amazing in supporting his 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,” the father said.
“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 shared in an update on GoFundMe on Wednesday.
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“He’s such a tough little cookie. The bravest 6 year old I’ve ever known,” her update also said. “Being an older sister and so close to your siblings, seeing my baby brother like this is absolutely heart wrenching. No baby should have to lay in a hospital bed like this.”
As of Thursday, the GoFundMe campaign had raised $322,985 to help with medical expenses and relocating to a safer place to call home.