Man Seriously Injured After Lighting Fireworks In His Truck
A guy from Emmaus, Pennsylvania is sitting in the hospital in critical condition after a firework explosion in his vehicle.
The 35-year-old victim was taken to the hospital after multiple 911 calls reported a blast that rocked the neighborhood just before 10pm Sunday.
"All of the sudden, I heard a loud boom. It shook the house, rattled my windows," homeowner Adam Beers told WFMZ.
Neighbors came outside and rushed to help the man sitting in the truck crying for help.
"He didn't have a hand anymore, literally gone, nothing there," said another neighbor, Jeff Benner. "He was beat up, had various holes in his abdomen and was bleeding profusely."
Jeff and others tied a tourniquet on the man's arm before first responders arrived.
Police, first responders and the Allentown bomb squad arrived soon after on the scene to investigate the situation. When they arrived, the truck was very damaged and all of its windows were blown out.
The man used to live in a home near the explosion, but moved out several months ago.
Police say he had the firework for about a year, but believe it could've been somewhat deteriorated or dried out, shortening the ignition time.
Officials believe the victim came back to the neighborhood to go to the large field next to it to light off the fireworks, but for some reason lit them in his vehcile.
"Let the professionals do the professional fireworks. Anything can happen at any time and quick. You have irreversible damage for something you don't think through," Emmaus Police Chief Troy Schantz said.
Read more at WFMZ