A Del Norte County man lost his left hand after picking up an undetonated firework on Point St. George Beach on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The man, identified in a family fundraiser as Jason Turner of Klamath, had been walking on a stretch of beach less than a mile from the Del Norte County Regional Airport, near Crescent City. Organizers wrote that Turner and his girlfriend were “picking up firework trash to help keep the area clean.”
Just before 4 p.m. on Sunday, the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office was called to help after a man picked up a shiny, round object that exploded in his hand, Capt. Kyle Stevens said. Deputies found him conscious in the beach’s parking lot with a “severe injury” to his left hand, Stevens said.
Stevens said the injury was on the man’s non-dominant hand and that his girlfriend was unharmed by the blast. The sheriff’s office believes the object, which was about six inches long, was a homemade firework left on the beach during Fourth of July festivities. He was transported to Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City, Stevens said.
Turner’s hand was eventually amputated, according to the fundraiser. He also suffered loss of hearing and vision in the blast.
“He is the sole provider for his family and still has 2 children in school to care for,” the fundraiser’s organizers wrote. “If you are able to donate, please know that your kindness will make a real difference. Jason has always been there for others, and now, in this moment of need, any support you can offer would mean the world to his family.”
Fireworks-related burns are the most common injuries on July Fourth, especially on the hands, fingers and face. Last month, 18-year-old Nader Hanna of Pleasanton lost his non-dominant right hand when a tennis ball-sized firework exploded while he was lighting it.
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This article originally published at Man cleaning Northern California beach loses left hand after picking up firework.