Truck driver set on fire and left to burn alive in horror mugging

The screams of a shift worker who was intentionally sprayed with lighter fluid and set on fire may have saved his life, after a co-worker heard those screams and ran out into the street to find him on fire.

Truck driver Terry Lee said he was playing games on his phone ahead of his shift at Ace Fabrications, when a man jumped out of a car behind him, and threw lighter fluid on him.

A Bundaberg truck driver is lucky to be alive after he was set on fire and left to die during a disturbing attempted robbery.

Terry Lee, 55, said he was sitting in his ute playing games on his mobile phone ahead of his shift at Ace Fabrications at Avenell Heights in the early hours of Monday morning, when a man jumped out of a white SUV and sprayed lighter fluid on him.

He then threatened to set Mr Lee on fire if he did not hand over his money.

Mr Lee told the man he had no money, and the man ignited the highly flammable lighter fluid, setting Mr Lee on fire.

“He flicked his lighter or whatever he had,” Mr Lee said.

He was able to quickly get out of his car and get his shirt off before being seriously burnt.

A co-worker who saw what happened called 000, and Mr Lee was rushed by ambulance to hospital with minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the driver of the white SUV had crashed into Mr Lee’s car while leaving the scene.

Terry Lee, 55, said he was sitting in his ute playing games on his mobile phone ahead of his shift at Ace Fabrications at Avenell Heights in the early hours of Monday morning, when a man jumped out of a white SUV and sprayed lighter fluid on him.

One of his co-workers, who preferred to not be named, said Mr Lee arrived early, as he often did, and waited in his ute down the street from the business ahead of his shift.

About 5.30am, when the hardware supply business usually opens its gates, the co-worker said he heard Mr Lee’s screams as he approached the site.

“His driver’s side door was quite damaged,” he said.

“He was screaming. He was on fire.”

When he arrived, Mr Lee’s co-worker said he was shirtless and visibly shaken, but no longer on fire.

The singed remains of his shirt were left in “a smouldering mess in the gutter”, Mr Lee said.

Mr Lee said he had been given the week off work, and was fortunate to escape with minor burns, though the hair on his face and arms had been singed off.

“We think it’s quite opportunistic,” Mr Lee’s co-worker said.

“When he (Mr Lee) opened the door to his ute, they “threw the fighter lighter on him and drove off”.”

Police are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this interaction involving these two vehicles or has any information, CCTV or dashcam vision of the area around the time to contact police.

As of Wednesday morning, police said no charges had been laid, and investigations were continuing.

Originally published as Truck driver set on fire and left to burn alive in horror mugging