[NYP] Brian Hutchinson’s attempt at good hygiene nearly cost him his head.When the British taxi driver reached for a lighter left behind by a passenger who recently exited his cab, he didn’t realize his recently sanitized hands would be a fire hazard.
As he flicked the lighter, the spark ignited a "fireball" in the 42-year-old’s hands. The flame quickly spread from his hands, which were still drying from hand sanitizer, to his head, arms and legs.
Hutchinson’s horrific accident comes at a time when fire experts are warning consumers to handle alcohol-based hand sanitizers with extreme caution, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic which has seen sales — and scams — related to the hygienic product soar.
Hutchinson said he’s survived "going to hell and back" after multiple operations and skin grafts in almost two months since the incident.
"I noticed there was a dropped lighter in the back seat off my car, I had just sanitized my hands, so I rubbed the palm on my leg to dry them, but the tops of my hands were still wet," he explained.