San Diego
A motorist was burned Tuesday when two gasoline-filled containers in his car’s trunk apparently triggered an explosion as the auto pulled out of a Rancho Bernardo gas station Tuesday morning, police said.
Martin Crooks, 39, was listed in good condition Tuesday afternoon at the UC San Diego Medical Center with second-degree burns to his face and hands, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Police spokesman Bill Robinson said Crooks filled a 20-gallon propane tank and a 5-gallon gasoline tank and placed them in the trunk. He said the car exploded at 7:50 a.m. as it pulled out of the station.
Crooks jumped from the car as it traveled across Bernardo Drive, Robinson said. The car rolled across the street and stopped after crashing into a wooden fence.
Paramedics rushed Crooks to Pomerado Hospital, Robinson said. He was later transferred to the UCSD hospital’s burn center.
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