01 March 2009

Women Smoking While on Oxygen Tank Leaves a Mess for Fire Department


Well you certainly can't question her "commitment" to that sweet, sweet tobacco. A woman in Ohio set herself on fire while smoking because she was hooked up to an oxygen tank for emphysema. The funny part is that this is third fire of this sort in the area this year alone. From Cincinnati.com:

A woman smoking a cigarette while hooked up to an oxygen supply set herself on fire early Friday and badly burned her lower body, Middletown fire officials said.

It was the third such fire in Middletown this year, and a frightening illustration of the power of nicotine, experts say.

"To me, it's a sign of how incredibly addictive tobacco smoke is," said Robert Anthenelli, director of the Tristate Tobacco and Alcohol Research Center at the University of Cincinnati. "Despite the fact that there's obvious warnings and high risks, this person, like many other people, continues to be driven to smoke, despite these adverse consequences."
I can vouch that cigarettes are that addictive, but you think that once your lungs turned to fleshy, charcoal residue, you would re-think your priorities. Maybe it's just a sign of Obama being elected so people feel they can "Do whatever the hell they want". Much like the 15-year old on Maury who wants to be a stripper.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

She is not alone...I remember seeing my grandmother in the hospital on oxygen, near death...asking for just one more cigarette.
~AM

Mike said...

I'm trying to decide if that Maury clip is better than the 14 year old that wanted to have a baby...the episode of South Park where Cartman acts like a teen girl out of control ("Whatevah whatevah, I do what I want!") is taken almost verbatim from that particular Maury.

In any case, they're both freakin' hilarious.

Anonymous said...

Time to buy some sweet tobacco stocks! With the increased government regulation company reliability claims are sure to go down.

Nixon said...

Mike,

That South Park episode definitely influenced this blog post, haha. I love that episode.

Tom,

State governments and the fed (with passage of SCHIP being paid by smokers) are so addicted to excise taxes on cigarettes that this lady is probably going to get some kind of citizen's award.

Lisa said...

Obama's got nothing to do with it -- people have always done whatever they want, consequences be damned. In fact, the Republicans are huge enablers of that entitlement attitude these days, as we are seeing with the imploding economic situation.

Idiocy is a non-partisan attribute. We live in a nanny society, where there will always be someone to get you out of a trouble, or a new oxygen tank around the corner or a new lung donor.

"Don't blame the victim," is the mantra.

Anonymous said...

My Papa was puffing away on drinking straws when he was dying in the hospital. My grandma would "light" him one and pass it right over.