Girl, 13, left 'traumatised' after bullies set her hair on fire

Philadelphia student Neveah Robinson, 13, has said she is "traumatised" following an incident in which a fellow student set fire to her hair.

Neveah was waiting at a bus stop after school last Tuesday when the student approached her and used a lighter to set her hair alight.

"When it happened, I panicked real fast, because I thought I was going to die because it burned my hair so bad," she told CBS.

The 13-year-old used her hands to frantically pat out the flames on her head. Onlookers were reportedly laughing at her expense.

The incident left Neveah with first-degree burns to her head and bald patches as big as five centimetres.

She now wears a scarf to cover her injuries.

The 13-yearold says she now has pain "from the back all the way up to the front" of her head.

Neveah's mother Tanya says that her hairstyle that day, usually thick and coily, prevented the fire from extending further on her scalp. "The doctor told me her hairstyle saved her life," she said. "Had it been different, she might not be here."

Philadelphia Police are currently looking in to the incident but after speaking to the school Principal and school district, Tanya is calling for the perpetrators to be banned from school.

"I want expulsion if you're gonna be setting kids on fire," she said.

Tanya is now homeschooling Neveah and will continue the fight to get the bullies expelled.

"This shouldn't be swept under the rug," her mother said.