A British holidaymaker suffered serious burns after being stabbed after a gust of wind blew flames on her while she was fire dancing.
Beatrice Francovschi had traveled solo to a festival in Indiana, USA, for a fun weekend getaway with friends, but things quickly went south.
The Milton Keynes resident had started performing as a hobby and side hustle for the past three years, and decided to perform a show at the campsite with another artist.
But tragedy struck just seconds later, when the wind blew one of her fuel-soaked fans, spraying fumes and fuel onto her clothing and body, instantly setting her on fire.
The 32-year-old was rushed to hospital with second and third degree burns across her upper body and face, while she was also saddled with a series of ‘astronomical’ medical bills.
Beatrice Francovschi,32, (pictured fire dancing) traveled to a festival in Indiana, USA, for a fun weekend getaway and to meet friends
However, the Milton Keynes resident, who does fire dancing as a hobby, was burned to death when a gust of wind blew flames onto her body and clothes.
Beatrice claimed that the fuel used in the US is “more volatile and flammable”, causing her to suffer burns on 20 percent of her body within seconds.
The systems analyst was flown to a specialist burn unit where she continues to recover from her extensive injuries. Doctors were initially concerned that the inflammation around her neck could cause breathing problems.
Beatrice has also revealed that her holiday insurance will not cover the incident – and is expecting a bill of potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars after discharge.
“I’ve been doing fire performances as a hobby and side hustle for three years and have never had any accidents or burns and don’t know anyone else who has,” she said.
‘On Saturday evening I spoke to a girl who also does fire performances and we decided to do a little show together for the people at the campsite. It was just an impromptu event with a small group of people.
‘Unfortunately I was not aware that the fuel was so different to what I am used to in the UK and is much more volatile and flammable with a higher combustion temperature and also flammable vapours.
‘As I lifted the fan, a gust of wind blew the fumes and some of the fuel from the fan wicks onto my clothing and body, setting me on fire.
‘I was in pain and shocked, but I knew I had to stay calm, not breathe, keep my eyes and mouth closed and fall to the ground.
Beatrice (pictured at hospital) was quickly rushed to hospital, where at one point she thought she was ‘going to die’.
She was left with second- and third-degree burns on her chest and face as doctors feared inflammation could cause her breathing problems
She added: ‘My hand, arm, shoulder and chest were on fire and the flames were going up my neck, face and head. Luckily I had recently had a shower and my hair was wet so it didn’t catch fire.’
Bystanders nearby rushed to her aid and extinguished the flames within seconds before Beatrice was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
At one point, the 32-year-old was afraid she would die because she had never had an accident while pursuing the hobby.
Beatrice said: ‘Those few seconds were all it took for me to suffer second and third degree burns to almost 20 per cent of my body, including my face.
‘They were afraid that my airways would close due to the swelling around my neck. I’ve never had an accident. I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“When they intubated me, I thought, ‘Am I going to die?’ It was terrifying. The hospital staff was great.”
After being taken to a specialist burn unit, Beatrice underwent surgery to remove the most affected areas of her skin. Skin grafts will be performed soon.
“Those few seconds were all it took for me to suffer second and third degree burns to almost 20 percent of my body, including my face,” Beatrice revealed as she recalled the accident
Now the systems analyst fears an ‘astronomical’ medical bill if she leaves the American hospital
Due to the nature of Beatrice’s accident, her insurance company will not cover her medical costs, leaving her with potentially “astronomical” debt.
Best friend Kali Tattersall has since had a GoFundMe to help pay Beatrice’s medical bills after she is fired.
Just over £2,000 of the £15,000 target has been raised so far to help cover Beatrice’s medical bills.
Kali said, “It’s going to be astronomical. We have no idea how much it will be. From what we’ve seen online, it’s an insane amount for basic stuff.
‘She is in a specialist unit and has taken a helicopter flight. There could be hundreds of thousands.”