‘I thought I was going to die’: Black teen distraught after bully set hair on fire
“When it happened, I panicked real fast, because I thought I was going to die because it burned my hair so fast,” the 13-year-old told CBS Philadelphia.
Nevaeh Robinson is doing her best to recover after a bully maliciously set her hair on fire while other children looked on laughing. The incident occurred last week as she waited at a bus stop, just two blocks from Gompers High School in Philadelphia, Pa.
“When it happened, I panicked real fast, because I thought I was going to die because it burned my hair so fast,” the 13-year-old told CBS Philadelphia.
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The bully, who has yet to be named, allegedly used a lighter to set Nevaeh’s hair on fire on Tuesday and stood-by mocking her as she frantically patted it out with her hands.
“It was kind of traumatizing,” Nevaeh said. She suffered first-degree burns and several inches of her hair were singed. She also now has a two-inch bald spot, as well as several bald patches, around her hairline.
“I called the police as soon as they came home, took her to the hospital,” her mother Tanya Robinson told the local station. “The fire chief came out. I’ve spoken to the school district, [and] I’ve spoken to the principal at the school.
“The doctor told me her hairstyle saved her life,” Robinson continued. “Had it been different, she might not be here.”
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Nevaeh is understandably self-conscious and has chosen to wear a scarf to cover up the scars as they heal.
“I’d rather have her here with no hair, than not here,” her mother said. “I want expulsion if you’re setting kids on fire.”
In addition to her cosmetic wounds, the teen also says she suffers pain “from the back, all the way up to the front” of her head.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time she’s has been targeted by bullies. Two years ago, a classmate broke Nevaeh’s thumb at another school.
Philadelphia police are investigating the incident, but Philadelphia School District officials have yet to comment on plans to protect students from bullies. As a safety precaution, Nevaeh will be homeschooled until the family gets some answers.
“This shouldn’t be swept under the rug,” her mother said.
