A man in Istanbul survived a shocking incident last Saturday when a burning natural gas cylinder was thrown from a balcony and hit his car, shattering the glass roof and striking him on the head.
Mehmet Işler, 24, was driving on Fatih Caddesi with a friend when the cylinder was hurled from the balcony of a burning apartment building. The canister hit İşler's head and landed on the roadside alongside his friend.
Işler was rushed to the hospital by his friends, where he received 19 stitches on his head. He also sustained tissue loss and numbness on the right side of his body. İşler was released from the hospital after a one-day stay.
Describing the incident, Işler said, "I was driving down the street when an unidentified cylinder came crashing down onto my vehicle, shattering the glass roof in the process. The cylinder hit my head, causing significant damage. I currently have 19 stitches on my head and am experiencing some tissue loss and numbness. I don't know who's behind this, but I'm seeking swift action to identify the culprits. I'm filing a complaint and want them apprehended as this was clearly an intentional attempt to cause harm."
Işler's friend Tolunay was also present at the time of the incident and sustained injuries. Tolunay suffered head injuries and burns on his hands from handling the burning cylinder. He was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
Aydın Karataş, the proprietor of a business on the street, witnessed the incident. He said, "I arrived at the scene during the incident. A passerby threw the burning cylinder down from above. It landed on the sunroof of the man's car while he was driving. It's a miracle he survived. It was a very unfortunate incident. They probably couldn't extinguish the fire on the cylinder. It hadn't gone out, so they removed it and threw it away. I wish they had stopped to check if someone was injured or needed assistance. Their intervention could have made a significant difference."
Authorities are actively working to identify the suspect behind the incident. Security camera footage captured the event, depicting İşler's car driving down the street and the burning cylinder falling from the balcony to hit the car's glass ceiling. İşler's friends are seen attempting to remove the flaming cylinder from the car.
