DeLand Woman Severely Burned in August Car Fire Dies

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on November 6, 2017

In August, a horrifying incident occurred in DeLand that resulted in a 39-year-old woman suffering life-threatening burns along her arms and face. This past Sunday, it was reported that the woman, a DeLand resident named Tracy Adams, died as a result of the injuries she sustained.

The initial report indicated that Adams was inside of her vehicle when someone began to attack her. An investigation into the crime found that some sort of fuel or fire accelerant was dumped on the car and that a fire was subsequently ignited and quickly began to engulf the entire vehicle. Adams was able to exit the car and run into her home, but the fire from the vehicle had become so intense so fast that Adams was unable to escape it quickly enough, and when she entered her home she herself was on fire. Her 17-year-old daughter, Jazariah Heath, told investigators that when Adams ran into the home she was bleeding heavily from her face and arms and that her clothes were still burning.

Heath called 9-1-1 and firefighters with the DeLand Fire Department arrived at the address along West Volusia Avenue, close to Woodland Boulevard. They reported that when they arrived the car itself was completely consumed by fire and that the flames had spread to damage the outside of at least one home close by.

Paramedics rushed Adams to Orlando Regional Medical Center where she was cared for until her death this past Sunday. Heath told investigators that when her mother ran into the house she was saying that she was being attacked and that someone was attempting to kill her. Chris Graham, DeLand city spokesperson, made a statement that indicated that officials investigating the case were treating it as a deliberate attack and that the flames were believed to have been intentionally started.

A suspect is currently in custody after Adams was able to tell authorities who it was that she believed attacked her. The name of this suspect has yet to be released, although it seems as though members of the family know their identity.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.