As I Lay Dying’s Tim Lambesis Sued by Woman Burned in Bonfire Accident
As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis is being sued by a woman allegedly injured in the same December 2020 bonfire accident that left the musician with burns over 25 percent of his body after he spilled flammable liquid on himself while attempting to start a fire.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune and Fox 5 San Diego, the accident took place on Dec. 12 last year at the home of Lambesis' parents in the North County area of the Southern California city. Vivienne Barcena claims she was standing near the fire pit when Lambesis squirted the liquid into it, causing flames to "explode out" and engulf her arm, back and midsection.
Barcena was reportedly there attending a holiday party with a friend. Following the incident, she says she has "lived with intense pain" because of the burns she sustained, as the suit filed last week (Apr. 29) in San Diego Superior Court outlines. It also names Lambesis’ parents as codefendants.
On Dec. 16, 2020, Lambesis shared a message from his hospital bed on social media, explaining to his followers for the first time how the "entire gas cap fell off when trying to use a little from the trickle tip to get a bonfire started. Gas got all over my clothes and I ended up burning 25% of my body. I've been in the hospital since Saturday night, and I will be here for a couple more weeks most likely."
The musician later clarified that his "man parts" were unaffected by the blaze. On his Instagram page, the vocalist frequently shares updates on his recovery.
In 2013, Lambesis was arrested for attempting to hire a hitman to murder his estranged wife. He was imprisoned and released on parole in 2016, later issuing an apology to his family. Since then, the vocalist has pursued a degree in social work, trained as an addiction counselor and spent time tutoring inmates.
While in prison, remaining AILD members formed Wovenwar with Oh, Sleeper's Shane Blay. As I Lay Dying returned in 2017, issuing the album Shaped by Fire in 2019. Recently, Lambesis has been working on his own side project with Wolves at the Gate's Joey Alarcon.