Video shows kids playing with fire as CT mom denies child's burns were result of bullying
BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (WABC) -- Dramatic new video shows the horrifying moment a 6-year-old boy suffered severe burns while playing with friends at a home Connecticut.
Dominick Krankall's parents had claimed he was a victim of bullying and was deliberately lit on fire, but the parents of the other kids deny the bullying and say the video proves it was an accident.
Bridgeport police recently said they did not believe the incident was intentional.
Krankall suffered severe burns on his face and legs when he was hit with a tennis ball that had been soaked in gasoline and set on fire in the yard behind his home back in April.
He was hospitalized for several days, and the community held a drive by parade with police and firefighters to support him.
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The video shows three kids, Krankall and the 8- and 11-year-old sons of his family's landlord, playing with fire and gasoline, at one point kicking a soccer ball that's been set on fire.
By the end of the day, Krankall would suffer serious burns to his face. His family claimed bullying, but the mother of the two older boys says their lives have been turned upside down as a result.
"The threats that they were going to blow up the house, they were going to hurt my child as well as myself," homeowner Laura Giacobbe said. "The were going to let us suffer the damages done to Dominick."
As a result, Giacobbe decided to release the video that shows the boys in the backyard for hours.
At one point, they fill up a plastic cup with gasoline. The moment Dominick catches fire is out of frame, but his legs and face are engulfed, and one of the boys tries to pat out the flames.
Brideport police have concluded the video shows no evidence of any of the children deliberately injuring each another.
"It's very upsetting because she used her child, she used him wrapped up in a bandage, to get money," Giacobbe said.
And there has been lots of money raised, almost $600,000 through a GoFundMe page. The fundraiser was created to pay for medical expenses but now states it will be used to purchase a home.
The Giacobbe family is considering a lawsuit.
"If GoFundMe decides to actually disperse this immense amount of funds to the Krankall family, there then could be an asset worth attaching and pursuing on behalf of the Giacobbe family," their attorney, Christian Young, said.
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In an update on the fundraising page, Dominick's sister writes, "Now, we have people coming at us, calling my family liars and scammers. We are more than happy to give refunds to anyone who believes this. I understand if you do."
"I'm happy that the truth is out," Giacobbe said. "But I'm unhappy that everybody's still thinking that this is a lie."
Krankall was released from the hospital in early May and is expected to make a full recovery with minimal scarring, though it appears the war of words will continue between the families.
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