A San Jose man reportedly lost both his hands on Friday, July 4 while lighting illegal fireworks. And two men in Sunnyvale lost several fingers, also lighting fireworks.
Albert Morales, a San Jose Police officer, stated that it was 9:44 p.m. when the police was called to the intersection of Story Road and Capitol Expressway in eastern San Jose, reports Mercury News. Family members stood by as a man in his 40s tried to ignite illegal fireworks. The device exploded prematurely, taking with it the man's both hands.
While the device has not been identified, Morales said it must have been “something pretty powerful.”
In Sunnyvale, the Department of Public Safety reported that an officer heard an explosion near the intersection of North Fair Oaks Avenue at around 10:00 p.m., after which two men, 41 and 32, approached him.
According to witnesses, the two men were attempting to light a mortar-type firework when it exploded. CBS San Francisco reported that one of the men lost several fingers on his left hand and a fingertips on his right hand, while the other lost part of his right hand.
The names of the victims, who are all expected to survive, were not released by police.