By John Dobberstein, Editor
Authorities are once again warning about the dangers of fireworks after a child lost a hand during an incident Wednesday in Tulsa.
The Tulsa Police Department responded to an initial shooting complaint around 10:20 p.m. near 46th Street North and Main Street and later learned a child had their hand blown off by fireworks.
When police arrived, the Tulsa Fire Department and EMSA were treating two children, ages 11 and 12, for injuries.
The 11-year-old suffered lacerations throughout his upper body. The 12-year-old’s hand had been largely destroyed and he had significant trauma to his eyes.
Both victims were taken to a local hospital, but the 12-year-old was then flown to a hospital in Oklahoma City for further treatment. Both children are both expected to survive.
According to some of the other children around during the accident, the 12-year-old was holding a small grenade-like mortar firework for the 11-year-old to light and it exploded. The 11-year-old had another similar explosive in his pocket when first responders arrived.
The lead-up to this accident is still under investigation, but this simply appears to be an accident, police said.
The mortar firework believed to have caused the injury has a very short fuse and should not be handled by children, authorities said.
“Parents, please be vigilant with your children so we can try to prevent these kinds of life-altering events,” Tulsa police said in Facebook post Thursday. “Handle this level of firework with utmost caution. Remember, they are essentially bombs that can cause serious injury or death if not treated with respect.”
Leave a Reply