re: Patient's body set on fire as medical staff attempt CPR

quote:

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Oxygen doesn't ignite I believe.

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Oxygen is not a fuel but as the name would suggest an oxidizer. The key in this type of ignition is items that are relatively non-flammable or moderately flammable can become highly flammable in a high O2 environment.

So you have a high O2 micro-atmosphere building up around the patient their clothes and the medical equipment. When the spark occurred (keep in mind a spark is actually a particle, usually metal, that is hot enough to incandesce) it likely bounced onto some fuel (again clothes, medical equipment, etc) that was in a high enough oxygen atmosphere to ignite violently. Once started the O2 would continue to provide a source of oxidizer that would cause the fire to grow radidly. O2 is slightly denser than air but pooling was likely less of an issue than the current created by the O2 leaving whatever orifice it was coming from.


Despite some thinking, this is a blank check situation it really isn't. The cost of bringing an action against multiple defendants as well as the victim being a 70yo in the middle of a major coronary event and likely will put very little in the way of actual damages on the board doesn't exactly make this a case plaintiffs attorneys will retire over. Many will, however, be looking to represent the estate but it is more about publicity than bringing in a huge fee. Had it been a 40yo anesthesiologist and father of 4 and the fire occurred during a routine procedure for a non-life-threatening condition then about 50% of the state's attorneys would be lined up.