Man loses hand to fireworks explosion in Daytona Beach

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
B

BUTCH1

Lifer
Jul 15, 2000
20,433
1,769
126
The locals never disappoint, I guess he didn't make the fuse long enough.http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20150101/NEWS/150109959/0/FRONTPAGE



"A man lost his right hand as he rang in the new year with a homemade fireworks display, a Beach Safety official said.

Gene N. Hartwell, 35, was injured by an explosion shortly before 11:40 p.m. Wednesday near the Minerva Road beach approach in Daytona Beach Shores, Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue Capt. Tammy Marris said.

Hartwell walked to his nearby home after the incident and called 9-1-1, Marris said. Hartwell was then taken to Halifax Health Medical Center in stable condition.

Marris said responders were only able to find some pieces of Hartwell’s hand.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident and will determine whether Hartwell will face any legal repercussions because it’s illegal to shoot off fireworks on Volusia’s beaches, Marris said."
 
WaTaGuMp

WaTaGuMp

Lifer
May 10, 2001
21,207
2,506
126
Good thing he didn't break his legs, he might come running to me asking for a hand.
 
B

BUTCH1

Lifer
Jul 15, 2000
20,433
1,769
126
WaTaGuMp said:
Good thing he didn't break his legs, he might come running to me asking for a hand.
Click to expand...

LOL, the dude had to have been beyond drunk to be able to come back to his home and call 911, my guess is it was a home-made pipe-bomb but for Christ's sake if you know how powerful it is that's all the more reason to fuse it properly. It's possible he did fuse it properly but was so wasted he lacked any sense of time and forgot to hurl it.
 
S

skull

Platinum Member
Jun 5, 2000
2,209
327
126
BUTCH1 said:
LOL, the dude had to have been beyond drunk to be able to come back to his home and call 911, my guess is it was a home-made pipe-bomb but for Christ's sake if you know how powerful it is that's all the more reason to fuse it properly. It's possible he did fuse it properly but was so wasted he lacked any sense of time and forgot to hurl it.
Click to expand...

Some times those wicks just take off too. Me and my buddies used to do stunts like this years ago. We always made the wicks like a foot long. We had one just take off and not get to far out my buddies hand before it went boom.
 
B

BUTCH1

Lifer
Jul 15, 2000
20,433
1,769
126
skull said:
Some times those wicks just take off too. Me and my buddies used to do stunts like this years ago. We always made the wicks like a foot long. We had one just take off and not get to far out my buddies hand before it went boom.
Click to expand...

Yea, I'd be lying if I said I never used to play around with M-80's as a teen, I did and sent some innocent mailboxes to an untimely death!. When you've stuffed a very large amount of BP into something for a big bang it should not be in one's hand at any time during lighting it off, set it on the ground first.
 
T

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,839
496
126
BUTCH1 said:
LOL, the dude had to have been beyond drunk to be able to come back to his home and call 911...
Click to expand...
Though he probably was drunk given the occasion, people can be pretty resilient and composed sober. e.g. driving themselves to the ER after being shot, that sort of thing.

I know a farmer who got his pant flap caught in the implement drive shaft of his tractor working on his farm, twisted his leg clean off at the knee. He picked up his leg, tucked it under his arm, climbed up on the tractor and drove it about 3/4 mile back home to get the attention of his family.
 
qliveur

qliveur

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2007
4,090
74
91
BUTCH1 said:
Yea, I'd be lying if I said I never used to play around with M-80's as a teen, I did and sent some innocent mailboxes to an untimely death!. When you've stuffed a very large amount of BP into something for a big bang it should not be in one's hand at any time during lighting it off, set it on the ground first.
Click to expand...
I wonder how much federal time blowing up mailboxes would get you nowadays? :whiste:

And I miss M-80s. Good times. :'(
 
B

BUTCH1

Lifer
Jul 15, 2000
20,433
1,769
126
qliveur said:
I wonder how much federal time blowing up mailboxes would get you nowadays? :whiste:

And I miss M-80s. Good times. :'(
Click to expand...

My neighbor thought it was funny to light off a cherry-bomb on a fence-post right behind me when I was mowing our yard, scared the bejesus out of me. A few days later I took 2 M-80's and tied the fuses together then duct-taped them with a cigarette-delay fuse to the side of his house about 9:00 PM while he was watching TV in the same room, blew 4-5 shingles off the side of his house LOL while I had safely snuck back into my bedroom to watch through a window. He called the cops of course and blamed me so the cops came over, I had changed into pajamas and I was smart enough to bum a different brand of cig than I smoked for the fuse. Paybacks are a bitch and pranking a teen is playing with fire LOL.
 
MagnusTheBrewer

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
24,122
1,594
126
BUTCH1 said:
My neighbor thought it was funny to light off a cherry-bomb on a fence-post right behind me when I was mowing our yard, scared the bejesus out of me. A few days later I took 2 M-80's and tied the fuses together then duct-taped them with a cigarette-delay fuse to the side of his house about 9:00 PM while he was watching TV in the same room, blew 4-5 shingles off the side of his house LOL while I had safely snuck back into my bedroom to watch through a window. He called the cops of course and blamed me so the cops came over, I had changed into pajamas and I was smart enough to bum a different brand of cig than I smoked for the fuse. Paybacks are a bitch and pranking a teen is playing with fire LOL.
Click to expand...

Yeah, nuthin' says justice like doing property damage. Herp!
 
qliveur

qliveur

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2007
4,090
74
91
BUTCH1 said:
My neighbor thought it was funny to light off a cherry-bomb on a fence-post right behind me when I was mowing our yard, scared the bejesus out of me. A few days later I took 2 M-80's and tied the fuses together then duct-taped them with a cigarette-delay fuse to the side of his house about 9:00 PM while he was watching TV in the same room, blew 4-5 shingles off the side of his house LOL while I had safely snuck back into my bedroom to watch through a window. He called the cops of course and blamed me so the cops came over, I had changed into pajamas and I was smart enough to bum a different brand of cig than I smoked for the fuse. Paybacks are a bitch and pranking a teen is playing with fire LOL.
Click to expand...
Holy shit, you'd be branded a domestic terrorist now. :p
 
MagnusTheBrewer

MagnusTheBrewer

IN MEMORIAM
Jun 19, 2004
24,122
1,594
126
BUTCH1 said:
No, it was wrong on my part but it's also not very nice to light off a cherry-bomb 15 feet from someone behind their back. I was 16 at the time, not too bright LOL..
Click to expand...

Well...you're pretty much expected to be stupid at 16. At least nobody died.
 
B

BUTCH1

Lifer
Jul 15, 2000
20,433
1,769
126
MagnusTheBrewer said:
Well...you're pretty much expected to be stupid at 16. At least nobody died.
Click to expand...

LOL, yea, it was the '70's as well, if my neighbor had caught me he would have beat my punk ass and the cops would have just LOL'ed as "oh well, kid had it coming".
 
Jeff7

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
19
81
Any other details? Was his hand close to the thing, or was he holding it when it blew up?



The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident and will determine whether Hartwell will face any legal repercussions because it’s illegal to shoot off fireworks on Volusia’s beaches, Marris said.
Click to expand...
So in the extremely unlikely event this would go to trial, does his hand still have to be attached to him before it's placed on a Bible for any kind of oath?

Marris said responders were only able to find some pieces of Hartwell’s hand.
Click to expand...
...or at least what they can find of it.
 
S

skull

Platinum Member
Jun 5, 2000
2,209
327
126
William Gaatjes said:
You have got to be kiddin me...
That has to be fake right ? :eek:
Can somebody really be that stupid ?
Click to expand...

Oh yes my one buddy liked to use metal pipe for his explosives. Crazy SOB packed it all full of gun powder. Had the cap on(he never wiped the threads) realized he forgot the hole for the wick. So he put it as is on a drill press. I couldn't believe it didn't explode. Needless to say I stayed the hell out of the way when he was screwing around.

This same guy had a car that had been sitting for a year and he didn't have a running car. I said lets fix this thing we ain't got nothing better to do. So we did had it running in no time actually. According to my one buddy that was with him he was driving like a mad man. Wrapped it around a tree at 60mph the same day we got it running.

Some how hes still alive almost 10 years later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom