Eddie Adams, Florida Republican Candidate, Gets Burned

Florida Congressional candidate Eddie Adams Jr. (R) was admitted to Tampa General Hospital Sunday suffering from severe burns on the hands and arms. He will be undergoing additional skin grafts Tuesday.

A vandal tied a mattress to the underside of Mr. Adams pick-up truck. Friction with the road, and contact with the catalytic converter combined to ignite the bedding.

As he drove down Busch Boulevard in Tampa, Florida, onlookers began to wave and shout at him. At first, Eddie assumed that his tireless campaigning was beginning to show results, until, when stopped at the next red light, he began to smell smoke, and he realized with a shock that his truck was on fire. When he opened the door, the flames engulfed the cabin, burning Eddie's arms.

He tucked and rolled on the ground to put out his flaming clothes. Additional injuries were suffered as he tried to pull the mattress, which he found was deliberately tied to the frame, from the underside of the truck. Good Samaritans rushed to his assistance with fire extinguishers, but the truck was heavily damaged. Undeterred, Eddie will continue his campaigning as much as his recovery will permit.

At this point in the campaign, office workers with the Hillsborough County Sheriff have tallied 90 reports of vandalism against cars with Republican campaign bumper stickers, and 7 such incidents against cars with Democrat bumper stickers. Other incidents include the systematic and widespread vandalism or theft of Republican campaign signs.

Eddie is running against Democrat Kathy Castor.

This report is based upon interviews with campaign staff.