Police said Adrian Rendon, 37, was driving a Cadillac Eldorado north on Loop 410 near Culebra Road around 8:30 a.m. when he lit a cigarette, igniting a gas can in the passenger seat.

A fire ignited inside Rendon's two-door car, causing him to lose control, and the Eldorado began rolling backward slowly and crashed into another car, police said.

He was trapped inside the car, which filled with smoke, until San Antonio firefighters arrived, officials said.

San Antonio Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Sparks said by that time, the fire had extinguished itself because the car's windows were rolled up.

Police said Rendon was badly burned and flown to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.

Authorities closed the highway, causing rush-hour traffic to fill the frontage roads for about an hour while AirLife landed and the scene was cleared.

Submitted on 06/07/2010

Submitted by: Amanda McDaniel
Reference: mysa.com

Copyright © 2010 DarwinAwards.com

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Lighting up in an enclosed space with a gas can sitting right next to you is definitely NOT an intelligent thing to do. Thanks, Amanda!

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
My ten-year-old son knows about gas fumes. This guy is a MO-RON! Thanks, Amanda!

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