Wal-Mart worker burns self to death in parking lot

[wndycty]

Wal-Mart worker burns self to death in parking lot
February 27, 2009 8:42 AM
A 58-year-old Wal-Mart employee who said he "couldn't take it anymore" lit himself on fire outside the Bloomingdale store where he worked late Thursday night and was later pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said this morning.

The Carol Stream man, who worked the overnight shift, was in a parking lot of an adjacent sporting goods store in the west suburban strip mall when he set himself on fire with lighter fluid around 10 p.m., said Randy Sater, a watch commander with the Bloomingdale Police Department.

At least 10 people, including some teenagers, witnessed the suicide and several attempted to help the man by throwing their coats on top of him in an effort to put out the flames, he said.

"He said he didn't want any help and threw the coats off," Sater said.

When one of the first officers tried to speak to the man, who by that time was severely burned, he responded, "I just couldn't take it anymore," Sater said, citing the officer's report.
-snip-

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/02/wal-mart-worker-immolates-self-in-parking-lot.html

[ogneopasno]

1. My God. That poor man.

[Ishoutandscream2]

2. Damn! Bless his heart

I'd be pretty damned depressed, too, if I had to work for that outfit.

[villager]

3. Jesus H. Christ! I'm reminded of the monk in the early days of Vietnam...

... but somehow suspect the context here is entirely different. Though it's still a kind of war, isn't it?

[robinlynne]

22. exactly. thought of the same thing.

[DS1]

4. Did he forget they sell shotguns at Walmart?

[hlthe2b]

5. Geebus...

Valid thought, I guess, but geez. :shrug:

[Sal Minella]

13. Not everyone (especially Wal-Mart employees) has the money to buy a shotgun.

[DS1]

14. He works there

he could have got one off the rack. Am I the only one thinking inside the box here?

[Sal Minella]

16. I know a man who tried to steal a flannel shirt while working there, and he was frog-marched

out of the store in front of customers and other employees, with cops on both sides.

Wal-Mart isn't set up to enable employee theft, exactly.

[DS1]

17. fucking hell

it's sometimes impossible to get a point across here

you take a shotgun off the rack, put a round in it, rack the pump, put the bad end in your mouth and pull the trigger. at that point you're not worried if you can afford it, or whether the manager is really gonna get on your case, man.

Christ!

[Raster]

20. The big-box store, or the box of shells...

...or both?

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

25. As a former Wally World employee

it's easier to get your hand on some fuel than it is to get a shotgun. Most employees don't have keys for the gun racks.

[roguevalley]

28. actually, you are out of line on your thinking here in my opinion. It

isn't how he died, its that he died.

[Massacure]

21. Even if you had a shotgun, it's a little bit difficult to point at yourself.

If your going to shoot yourself, you pretty much have to use a pistol. I don't know what gun laws are like in Illinois though.

To burn yourself though, that has to be pretty painful. :cry:

[AnneD]

18. Maybe they have a waiting period...

that might put a damper on that. Bad taste I know but it sounds like he had more problems than just WalMart.

[dana_b]

6. you just wonder what made this poor guy get to that point

I mean to burn yourself - that's destitution.

[Wilber_Stool]

7. I thought this was going to be

some kind of satire. What a choice.

[AyanEva]

8. WOW

Now THAT is determination. He's in horrible agony (unless he totally drugged himself up first) but he's so hellbent on completing his task that he throws the coats off and tells everyone to piss off!

Dedication right there. Usually its, "OMG I wanna die!" *sets self on fire* "OH GOD PUT IT OUT! WATER!" This dude was like, "OMG I wanna die!" *sets self on fire* "WILL YOU GO THE FUCK AWAY AND LET ME BURN IN PEACE, DAMMIT."

What could have happened so that he reached this state of mind?! Maybe he was behind in bills or his mortage (if he owned a house). Just got fed up with struggling, I guess. I can think of far less painful ways to go out but maybe Walmart was doing it's usual job of screwing over its employees and he was miserable with the situation and wanted to make a statement of some sort. If you work at Walmart, you get burned? It's just always such an odd way to commit suicide, IMO.

It's like your mental anguish HAS to be far greater than any physical pain in order to burn yourself to death.

[cherish44]

19. Good god what a horrible way to go...

And there are some who think we should just do NOTHING to help people going through difficult times...

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

24. According To His Son, He Loved His Job.

[AyanEva]

27. That makes this even stranger then.

What is it that he couldn't take anymore? That's going to bother me until I know. :/ Did he leave a note or anything, I wonder?

[AndyA]

9. Bless his heart. I can't imagine what brings a person to this point.

He must have been very unhappy.

I'll believe he's in a better place now, free of the pain he's been suffering, and happy again. Rest in peace.

[arcadian]

10. WAL-MART's reaction: How will this affect sales?

n/t

[TahitiNut]

11. They'll probably bill his estate for the lighter fluid.

:grr:

[Locrian]

12. it's the torture he was going thru....

People dont get that torture is NOT the (bad admittedly) immediate pain. It is the thought of never ending pain or thought of never being "free" of whatever. Psychologically it's your minds death.

[ananda]

15. God that's sad.

Sigh

[Control-Z]

23. I just feel ill.

Poor man.

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

26. Poor bastard.

I hope you're at peace now, sir.