ROCKDALE (November 9, 2011)-A Houston man was hospitalized in extremely critical condition Wednesday after police in Rockdale say he attempted to commit suicide by setting himself on fire.
At around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday Gurgeet Singh, 29, pulled into the driveway of a trailer park along State Highway 79 in Rockdale, cut his wrists with a filet knife, disrobed and doused himself with gasoline, which he then ignited, Rockdale Police Lt. J.D. Newlin said.
Witnesses saw the fire, notified police and then pulled Singh from inside the burning Honda two-door.
Newlin said paramedics tried to stabilize Singh at the scene and requested a medical helicopter to fly the burned man to Brook Army Medical Center's burn unit, in San Antonio.
Singh remained there on Wednesday being treated for third-degree burns over about 90 percent of his body.
Singh's rescuers closed the car door after they pulled him out, which starved the fire of oxygen and eventually pout it out, Newlin said.
When police opened the car door they found blood inside, the knife and charred debris on the car seat.
"We found his passport and some other papers inside or we never would have been able to identify him," Newlin said
