Model Injury by a Photographers Horrible Plan

Robyn-Lee Jansen, a 22-year-old model based in Vancouver, is speaking out after a horrific accident on the set of a photoshoot left her with severe burns all over her body. Jansen revealed the details of the accident in an Instagram post on June 20th, along with photos of herself being treated for the burns in the hospital. The Vancouver model burned 25% of her legs in the accident. She also suffered 1st-degree burns on her hip, back and right arm.

"Unfortunately, on the 13th of June 2019 I was involved in a very horrific and traumatizing accident," Jansen wrote on her GoFundMe fundraiser page. She says that she accepted a freelance modelling job from a photographer who wanted to "work with fire".

"He had been vouched for by a few other models and had assured me this was safe," writes Jansen. "He said that he had never had a problem with fire shoots in the past." Jansen recounted the horrifying accident in detail. "The photographer seemed rushed and his family had called multiple times as we were running a little late. He proceeded to work with fire behind me, and then yelled, 'stand still, this part gets tricky!'.  Before I could even ask what he wanted to try, or any sort of explanation, he squirted a bottle of liquid paraffin oil while standing closer to me. The next thing I knew, I was up in flames."

The model says that she was able to put the flames out by drop, duck and rolling into a puddle. She claims that the photographer made her wait until he packed up all of his equipment to take her to the ER. She believes that the accident was "caused due to negligence and recklessness on the photographer's behalf." Jasen documented her healing process on GoFundMe. She says that she has been in complete shock and indescribable pain, which even caused her to faint. But, her experience has allowed her to share an important message with other models, and with the world.

"Don’t trust other people’s words when going into a risky shoot. Demand that there be safety procedures in place. And if the photographer can’t guarantee or provide them. Then just don’t do it.  It’s not worth your time and safety." Jansen says that she is still in the process of pursuing legal action against the photographer, but will not publicly disclose the person's name. "We are currently exploring legal avenues and have a meeting with a lawyer on Monday. Due to this we will not be releasing the name of the photographer until advised by our lawyer."

Content provided by Narcity News, Vancouver