A 23-year-old man sustained a serious hand injury from a fireworks explosion during a celebration in Miami. The incident occurred during a Fourth of July gathering on the 400 block of Northwest 50th Street, as reported by 7News. Witnesses described the scene where the firework detonated unexpectedly in the man's hand.
"He grabbed the bomb one and, I guess he didn’t know it was a short fuse, and so, it exploded directly into his hands," Jarielis Cortes, a neighborhood resident, told 7News. The victim was apparently setting off fireworks with friends when the accident happened shortly before 11 p.m. last Friday. Following the blast, area paramedics responded and the young man was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment.
The aftermath of the explosion resulted in severe burns to his hand and the loss of his right index finger. "When he was lighting the firework, he said he thought the string was long enough, but it wasn’t long enough, and it blew up in his hand, and it caused third-degree burns on his left hand, and he’s missing a right index finger," Sherry Mathis, the victim’s aunt, detailed in her conversation with 7News. Despite the injury, the victim stated that he was grateful to be alive and, according to Mathis, is continuing to recover.
Further reporting by NBC Miami confirms that no other individuals were harmed during the incident. Miami Fire Rescue was called to the scene and the victim was ultimately transported to Ryder Trauma Center to receive medical attention for his injuries.
