MIAMI, Fla. — A Fourth of July celebration in a Miami neighborhood took a disturbing turn when a firework blew up in a young man’s hands, sending him to the hospital.
Area residents who spoke with 7News said the 23-year-old victim was setting off fireworks with his friends along the 400 block of Northwest 50th Street, at around 11 p.m. on Friday.
Jarielis Cortes, who lives in the neighborhood, said she witnessed the accident.
“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,” she said.
Cortes, who asked not to show her face on camera, said she was outside watching the group set off fireworks at the time.
“He screamed. He was screaming in pain,” she said.
Cortes said the young man was badly hurt.
“His hand was bleeding a lot, and he was holding it with his jacket,” she said.
Paramedics arrived within minutes and rushed the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
His aunt, Sherry Mathis, said her nephew is now dealing with severe burns and now has no 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,” she said.
Mathis said she warned her nephew not to ignite the firework.
“We personally told him that, you know, certain fireworks, I think, especially when it’s not a regular onion, so this could have been something that somebody made, it could have been a default,” she said.
While the firework mishap may have cost him a finger, Mathis said her nephew told her he’s thankful that the outcome was not worse.
“When I spoke to him, he said that he’s very grateful, that it could have been worse. He said he’s grateful to be alive,” she said. “You know, he’s a tough guy, he’s a football player, so he good, he good.”
This family hopes that by sharing this 23-year-old’s story, it will remind people how dangerous fireworks can be.
“You have to be aware of your kids and what they buy and where they’re buying it at,” said Mathis, “and you have to be aware of when you’re lighting fireworks and the dangers of lighting the fireworks.”
Experts say even sparklers can reach temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, so they stress that children should only handle fireworks under an adult’s supervision.
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