Posted on 06/27/2005 9:27:29 AM PDT by BenLurkin
LANCASTER - A man lost his left hand and the thumb and two fingers of his right hand to an exploding firework Sunday evening in the 3500 block of West Avenue K-13, according to Capt. John Haugh of Fire Station 134. Shannon Powers, 30, was injured about 7:30 p.m. The device, originally described as a firecracker, was much more than that, Haugh said. He described it as something large, adding of the man's injuries, "It was ugly."
Haugh said Powers had "significant trauma as well as shrapnel injuries."
Sgt. Greg McHenry of the Lancaster Sheriff's Station said Powers, who has gang tattoos, identified himself as a former member of the Lancas gang.
McHenry said Powers was missing approximately seven of his digits, and the ones left were "not in good shape."
He said Powers apparently was "messing around with a small pyrotechnic," describing the device as a ball with a fuse. The device normally is inserted into a tube, but McHenry said Powers apparently decided not to use the tube and held onto the firework, believing it would shoot sparks.
Powers was taken to Antelope Valley Hospital, Supervising Fire Dispatcher Melanie Florez said.
Haugh said illegal fireworks had been reported throughout the day in that area, and Batallion 11's chief made contact with residents at or in the area of the home Saturday evening. Haugh believes it was the same residence where the incident occurred.
No comment needed.
no fool like a damned fool
SHANNON: WHAT HAPPEN?
ER PHYSICIAN: YOU NOT KNOW WHAT YOU DOING.
It's all fun and games until someone loses their left hand and the thumb and two fingers of their right hand.
The first time I heard this story the press called it a sparkler.MSM idiots.
honorary mention for darwin award
I think all gang members should follow his lead...too bad it didn't take his head instead of his hand.....
Fireworks, alcohol and an excuse to combine the two (4th of July) add up to some great candidates for the Darwin Awards every year.
I wonder how many crimes that firecraker prevented.
"I'm not really sure what this does, so I'll just hang on and see what happens."
No, I don't.
You're gonna stand there, owning a fireworks stand, and tell me you don't have no whistling bungholes, no spleen spliters, whisker biscuits, honkey lighters, hoosker doos, hoosker donts, cherry bombs, nipsy daisers, with or without the scooter stick, or one single whistling kitty chaser?
Instead it was shooting fingers.
Each Fourth of July weekend, we should take all the blown off fingers and limbs from fireworks, and feed the bits to the sharks so they stop eating swimmers.
No... because snakes and sparklers are the only ones I like.
Lesson learned or not, he'll not be holding anything again.
Guess he won't be giving any gang signs any more.
Sparks,eh? I'd imagine he saw stars.
Sounds like he had a typical "report" aerial firework. About the size of a tennis ball, and when launched, makes the loudest boom of a municipal-scale fireworks display (along with a bright flash).
He was probably holding it in the hand he lost, and was lighting with the other hand. Of course, they have fast fuses so that they can be electrically ingnited on cue from a control panel. The moment the flame lit the fuse, the launch charge went off. About two seconds later, it would have gone boom.
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