The family of a five-year-old girl who was badly burned when her T-shirt caught on fire is seeking compensation from Wal-Mart.
Alia McTiernan's shirt caught on fire after she and her siblings started playing with a lighter they found. Her parents allege the print on Alia's shirt acted as an accelerant.
"From her belly to about her neck was just flames. Her hands were in the air and she was yelling 'Mommy'," her mother, Amanda, told CTV Ottawa.
Alia's mom jumped on her daughter to try to put the fire out, but says it was too late. Her daughter suffered second- and third-degree burns to half her body.
A statement from the giant retailer's CEO Shelley Broader said "we are unable to identify any connection between the shirt and the tragic events" and that Wal-Mart's tests "established that the shirt met all applicable safety standards for children's apparel."
However, Alia's family doesn't believe that. They performed their own test on another shirt and when it was lit on fire they said the flames accelerated once they reached the graphic.
"It shouldn't be normal that a kid should be wearing something that is that flammable and can go up that quickly," said relative Michael Langill.
Alia is currently recovering from the first of many skin grafts to come. Wal-Mart has pulled the T-shirts off its shelves as a precaution.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Vanessa Lee
