Boy from Normal, Illinois injured by exploding gas can at camp site

11-year old Jordan Schickel from Normal, Illinois is in a Cincinnati hospital recovering from injuries he suffered as a consequence of a gas can exploding.  The boy and his family were at a camp site in Goodfield when flames from a camp fire jumped over to a gas can which exploded, causing Jordan serious injuries.

He was initially taken to a hospital in Springfield, but was transferred to the burn unit at the renowned Shiner's Children's Hospital in Cincinnati where is receiving care free of charge.  He has undergone several skin graft operations, but must wait to undergo additional procedures so that he can grown additional skin for grafting.

To many, this would seem like a freak, tragic accident.  As an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer, I recognize that this was probably a preventable injury.  Gas itself does not burn, gas vapors do.  When a gas can is partially empty, those fumes are highly concentrated, and if exposed to flame, can ignite rapidly and explode.

There is a simple device known as a flame arrester which can stop these kinds of explosions.  Basically this is a mesh screen which prevents fire from entering the gas can, thereby preventing explosions.  This technology has been in existence for over a hundred years after they were first developed to prevent mining explosions from miner's lamps.  They are inexpensive to manufacture -- arresters suitable for gas cans would cost only a few cents -- and are very effective at preventing the kinds of injuries that Jordan suffered.  The absence of a flame arrester is a known design defect in gas cans, and this can serve as the basis of a product liability suit.