Hand blown off by firework 2022

Fourth of July festivities turned bloody for one Florida man.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office was called to a South Florida gas station around 1 a.m. Saturday after reports of a fireworks explosion, according to officials. When officers arrived, the victim had already been taken to the hospital.

His hand was still at the scene.

“As soon as he light it, it went off in flames,” a friend told Local 10.

“He was in shock, but he was calm. It was like his hand was bleeding, we put ice, we tied his elbow so less blood flow.”

Responding officers rushed the hand to the hospital and then both man and appendage were transferred to Broward Health Medical Center.

A spokesperson for the hospital did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily News Monday but the friend said that surgeons were unable to reattach his hand.

Police are still investigating what exactly happened with the fireworks that caused the explosive scene to go wrong.

Between 2006 and 2021, fireworks-related injuries rose by 25% in the U.S., according to estimates from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Last year alone, at least nine people died and an estimated 11,500 were injured in incidents involving fireworks.

Experts warn people playing with fireworks to keep water handy nearby in case of fire, move to a safe distance immediately after lighting a spark and to never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Rescue crews arrived to discover the man had already been rushed to a nearby hospital -- but the body part had been left behind and also needed to be rushed to the facility

A Florida man's hand was blown off in a fireworks accident in the very early morning hours of Saturday and he was immediately taken to a nearby hospital, only for rescue crews to discover the body part had been left behind and also needed to be rushed to the facility.

The accident happened soon after 1 a.m. on Saturday in the 4400 block of North State Road 7 in the Lauderdale Lakes area, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

FIREWORK SAFETY

When they arrived, first response crews learned the man had already traveled to a nearby hospital in a private vehicle.

Paramedics transported the man’s severed hand to the hospital separately.

Fire rescue crews subsequently transported the man and his hand to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment.

The incident comes days after a public warning from BSO departments about the dangers of setting off fireworks at home, which they said are "hot enough to cause disfigurement and severe burns" as well as fires, injury and even death.

"Go enjoy the fireworks with your family," said Battalion Chief Michael Kane. "But we urge families from shooting off fireworks on their own."

This incident is currently under investigation. Check back with NBC 6 for updates.