MAN'S REMOTE CONTROL HORROR By DENISE BUFFA March 13, 2006 -- VICTIM SUES OVER FUME BLAST IGNITED BY CLICKER When Anthony Howell clicked his TV remote control to watch his favorite quiz show, he had no idea his life would be in jeopardy. But with the push of the button, his Bronx apartment building exploded into flames, blowing out all the windows and setting his hands, head and neck on fire. Howell, 58, says his apartment was filled with natural gas as a result of construction work in the apartment below his on East 223rd Street when the 2003 blast occurred, according to a lawsuit he filed recently in Bronx Supreme Court against his landlord, the construction firm and Con Edison. "I pick up the remote to turn on the TV, and then it sounds like a whole bomb went off," said the Vietnam veteran, who had been awarded two Bronze Stars. "It woke up the whole neighborhood." Then, he was fighting for his life. "I used my right hand to out the fire in my head, my left hand and the back of the side of my neck," Howell said. "You could see all the bones [in my hands] and all the good stuff inside of the body, you know." The true survivor - who not only made it through the war but also through prostate cancer seven years ago - ran from his living room to his front door. But the door was buckled and the handle was hot. So he headed to what was left of the kitchen window and jumped from the second floor to safety. "Through God's grace, I didn't break a bone," he said. But Howell says he did suffer severe and permanent injuries: first-degree burns to his hands and head, second-degree burns to his ears, nose and lips. Several operations later - skin grafting on his hands and readjusting of his wrist - Howell still has the unmistakable marks of the tragedy on his bumpy hands and discolored head, which he says hurt constantly. And then there are the nightmares. "I hear the explosion all over again, and I see the fire," said Howell. Howell maintains he had been smelling gas off and on for three to six weeks - and had complained to the landlord, U.S.A. Realty Corp. The day in question, March 21, 2003, the scent of gas grew strong, and he dared not light a cigarette. He didn't think the TV could pose a danger. Now, he's seeking an unspecified amount of damages from Ricky & Brothers Construction Corp. of Queens, the landlord and Con Ed, which controls the gas. "The defendants' actions are inexcusable," said Howell's lawyer, Michael Feldman of Jacoby & Meyers. "They should have had more concern when they were advised of a natural-gas leak." Attempts to reach Ricky & Brothers and U.S.A. Realty were unsuccessful. A spokesman for Con Ed declined to comment. Source: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/60964.htm
lol oh shit I shouldn't be laughin but damn thats crazy... can you imagine pickin up the remote and Boom!!! -lol. There's some dark humor in that...
