WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT: The damage done to Jacob Thompson, 19, was so severe that his siblings struggled to know he was their brother at the hospital in Sydney, Australia
A “deeply traumatised” teenager was left damaged and by a barbaric petrol attack that some of his family failed to recognise him.
Jacob Thompson, 19, was left with burns to 32 percent of his body, including third-degree injuries to his face, torso, arms, back and legs, after he was set alight in Coonabarabran, in New South Wales, Australia on October 13. Jacob was allegedly attacked as part of an “ongoing feud” between two families in a small rural town.
It is claimed the lad was doused with a liquid after being approached by a group of people before catching fire, before being rushed to intensive care after passers-by extinguished the flames. He was left fighting for his life and his injuries were so bad his siblings couldn’t tell it was their brother lying the hospital bed.
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“The vicious attack on Jacob has traumatised Jacob and his entire family who unfortunately witnessed the entire incident,” his family said, speaking to the Daily Telegraph in Australia, revealing the attack had left them all “deeply traumatised”. They added he is suffering severe breathing issues after initially being on life support.
“The past few weeks have been very challenging for Jacob, his mother, parents, grandparents, and siblings. It has been very hard on his younger siblings as they struggled to recognise Jacob at first. Jacob has been very emotional, and he is currently trying to come to terms with his injuries but he remains positive despite what he has had to endure over the past two weeks.”
He was when he was approached by a man and two women before, it is claimed, one of the group doused Jacob with a liquid before setting him on fire. Good Samaritans put out the flames and Jacob was hurried to hospital for treatment. Due to the severity of his injuries and damage to his airways, Jacob was airlifted to Sydney and placed into an induced coma on life support.
Police confirmed in a statement: “A 45-year-old woman, a 19-year-old man, and a 17-year-old girl were arrested at a nearby property. They were all taken to Coonabarabran Police Station where the man was charged with cause grievous bodily harm to person with intent, and affray; the older woman was also charged with affray. They were refused bail. The teenage girl was released pending further investigation.”
A GoFundMe page was set up to aid his recovery. A message on the page stated: “Jacob was the victim of a horrific and unimaginable act of violence. Jacob was viciously attacked, doused in petrol, and set alight during a horrific violent attack. Jacob sustained 3rd-degree burns to over 32% of his body, including his face, torso, both arms, back, and legs.
“Due to the severity of his injuries and the damage to his airways, Jacob was flown to Sydney and placed into an induced coma on life support. This deeply traumatic incident was witnessed by his immediate family and partner, leaving physical and emotional scars that will take a lifetime to heal.
“Jacob now faces a long and painful journey of ongoing medical treatment, rehabilitation, recovery, and ultimately, the need to relocate to a safe environment for his treatment and the entire family’s health and wellbeing”.
The teen was initially placed on life support, but the family say he has made some small improvements. They said he is still struggling with breathing issues and his eyes have been impacted, which requires constant monitoring and treatment and he still has a dislocated shoulder.