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.<\/p>\n
The man, identified in a family fundraiser <\/a>as Jason Turner of\u00a0Klamath, 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.”<\/p>\n Just before 4\u00a0p.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.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City, Stevens said.<\/p>\n Turner’s hand was eventually amputated, according to the fundraiser. He also suffered loss of hearing and vision in the blast.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n Fireworks-related burns are the most common injuries <\/a>on July Fourth, especially on the hands, fingers and face. Last month, 18-year-old\u00a0Nader Hanna of Pleasanton lost his non-dominant right hand<\/a> when a tennis ball-sized firework exploded while he was lighting it.<\/p>\n Subscribe<\/p>\n