1. It was not a firecracker if it blew off three fingers - it was something a lot more powerful
2. How did it get there? Did it fall off the table of the safety display or was it left there by someone else?
3. How did it go off? Firecrackers just don't go off by themselves or by playing with them (unless you are playing with them with matches)
4. Didn't anyone listen to the safety course?
This is just the beginning. Out here in the Pacific Northwest there are a lot of Indian reservations selling the really big-bang stuff, which is illegal in this state. One of the busiest weekends for our police scanner with noise complaints and injuries.
In Illinois there are some people who want to ban sparklers because of a few idiots.
Back when yours truly was in high school, I was lighting and tossing some Black Cat firecrackers around with my friends - no, no safety course for us - when one of them burned down a bit faster than the others. It went off as I was about to toss it, but was still holding it with my thumb and first two fingers. Left my fingers numb for an hour or so, but no permanent damage. Of course, I was only holding it with three fingers, so my hand was open - if it had been a bit smaller, like a 14 year old girl's, and I had been holding it enclosed in my fist, with my palm completely wrapped around it, I could believe that it might possibly do some real damage. I don't think I believe that it would blow fingers clean off, but I can see how a regular old firecracker could potentially do some harm...
Does anyone remember people putting tiny firecrackers between their teeth and lighting them. I cannot remember seeing anyone being hurt by them */ but it sure looked scary.
I never tried, perhaps I had a combination to too much fear and common sense.
*/That doesn't mean that it never happened. Just relating what I saw.
How the crap does a firecracker blow off 3 fingers?
I can't even blow up my sons plastic army men with 2.