Motorcyclist burned on 75% of his body in gas station fire shares his story

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Jean Barretto doesn’t know if he will ever ride a motorcycle again.

He spends most of his days in bed after 75% of his body was burned in February.

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The injuries happened after an encounter with county deputies. While riding his motorcycle, he was followed by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office chopper to an Orange County gas station, where he was tackled by law enforcement. This encounter caused the gas to spill from his bike. Barretto was then tased after being tackled.

According to the fire marshall, the taser ignited a fire.

Read: Osceola County deputy’s Taser caused gas station fire that injured man, 3 deputies, report says

“Everything was so fast; I didn’t know what was happening,” Barretto said.

Deputies were looking for a motorcyclist who had allegedly shot into a crowd. Barretto wasn’t the man with the gun, but deputies said he drove recklessly and ran from deputies.

Read: Stun gun used during arrest led to gas station fire that burned 3 deputies, suspect, witnesses say

His medical bills right now stand at over $7 million, and he still has several surgeries ahead of him and what will likely be a lifetime of care.

His attorneys plan to sue the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and say the lawsuit could net Barretto an eight-figure settelement.

VIDEO: body-cam video shows the moment Osceola County deputy’s Taser sparked gas station fire The Osceola County Sheriff released body-camera video Friday showing the moment a deputy’s Taser set off a fire at a gas station. (Shannon Butler, WFTV.com/WFTV)

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