Florida Man Set Off a Firework, Lost His Hand

July 4 weekend seems to bring with it a great many fireworks and a few gruesome fireworks accidents. The first such accident of 2022 to make national headlines occurred in South Florida, where the Broward Sheriff's Office says it responded to a call around 1am Saturday, reports Fox 35 Orlando. Local 10 reports that when first responders arrived at the home, they learned the man—but not his detached hand—had been taken to the hospital. Broward Sheriff’s Fire Rescue crews transported said hand to the hospital, and the man was subsequently transferred to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale; that facility was reportedly unable to reattach the hand.

A friend of the victim tells Local 10 the accident happened rapidly. "As soon as he light it, it went off in flames." The Consumer Product Safety Commission says its records show 15,600 people went to the emergency room for fireworks-related injuries last year. The most common injuries were to the hands and fingers, followed by ones to the head. (In 2021, an NHL goalie died in a Fourth of July fireworks accident in the Detroit area.)