Fireworks fun on the Fourth of July didn't end well for Eric Smith, 36, who was hosting a party at his Long Island, New York home when his arm was blown off while he was setting off illegal fireworks for his friends and family. He was rushed to hospital in an ambulance with his severed arm packed on ice. Doctors could not reattach the limb.
Smith's arm was detached at the shoulder from the Fourth of July accident. Smith's grandfather said, "His arm is gone. It's not going to be attached."
Illegal Fourth of July fireworks can be extremely dangerous. It was a mortar bomb firework that exploded out of a three foot metal launching pipe, that ripped off Smith's left arm at the shoulder. Neighbors said the blast shook houses and set off car alarms. When Smith lit the skyrocket off, he failed to get out of the way quickly enough. Smith's friend and co-worker at the Long Island Rail Road, Simon Hick stated, "He lit the fuse, and it was 'Boom! Boom!' and he was [lying] in the street. That's how fast it happened."
One neighbor spent his Fourth of July evening holding Smith while applying pressure to his torso. This was done in an attempt to try to control the bleeding while they waited for the ambulance to come. Other neighbors quickly packed the severed arm in a cooler on ice, hoping to save it for the doctors to be able to reattach it. According to a spokesperson from the Nassau University Medical Center, unfortunately, doctors could not reattach the limb as they said it suffered too much damage in the fireworks blast. It was a long, agonizing wait for medical attention last night and although Smith remains in a stable condition, but without his arm.
As he praised what he called a "heroic effort" on the part of the initial rescue team that helped Smith on that horrific Fourth of July evening at the Smith residence, Hick's stated, "He's going to be all right." Hick's said that Smith's bicep may have somehow shielded some of his vital organs from the impact of the blast, which may have saved his life. Hick's reminded everyone, "In a second, your life can change."
Police had to investigate the Fourth of July accident scene and said that they are considering bringing charges up against Smith for engaging in play with illegal fireworks. Only licensed companies are permitted to sell and use fireworks; however, many people use cheap fireworks, usually made in China. This is when these kinds of accidents occur. Smith could face criminal charges for possessing and igniting the fireworks. Hicks shared, "The accident shows the destructive power of fireworks."
The Fourth of July in 2010 is definitely a day that Smith will not forget. Smith is a father of two and a former football star at Lindenhurst High School on Long Island. He also inspects train cars for the LIRR now for a living and is known for his renowned weightlifting ability. His life is surely changed now.
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Comments
How absolutely horrible. Bet they were fireworks from China. When are we going to learn? Illegal fireworks are a no no and to BUY AMERICAN.
Why bring charges against the guy for illegal fireworks. Seems to me he has already paid a heavy price.
Darwin at work....
How? He already has children and the arm severing accident has not impeded his ability to have any more.
don't buy illegal fireworks and this won't happen. I feel bad for his kids since their father set such a poor example. Glad he's still alive to be able to share his story with others. Must have been scary for his family and friends to witness.
Anyone that buys fireworks and lights them off...whether they're from china, amreica, or timbuktu...is a LOSER period. Why not just take a bunch of bills and light them up? Idiots.
Anyone that buys fireworks and lights them off...whether they're from china, amreica, or timbuktu...is a LOSER period. Why not just take a bunch of bills and light them up? Idiots.
Pat, I completely disagree -- fireworks are not for losers. Wonder what your vice is and what you waste your money on? Everyone has a vice of some sort. Anyone who does not admit so is lying.
i like your comment mark..i love fireworks..accidents happen
illegal fireworks, legal fireworks. all fireworks are dangerous. they are actually bombs. there were fireworks gone wrong videos out there. and those fireworks were made in US. if you are a dare devil, this is what you get.
Mark..it's obvious that you are in that ilk. Why not go watch professionals light it up about a billion times more spectacular than you can as you risk life and limb like this knucklehead in New York. Not only does your ilk risk your health for no reason, but you put your neighbors in jeopardy. I am sick and tired of being kept up all night, and then go out to my yard/lawn the next morning with debris from nimrods that have nothing better to do than to harbor destruction on law abiding citizens. I was driving home last night and at times sped up on a semi-busy street to avoid lame fireworks that i could see were drifting into the street after being fired off. What i love the most (sic) is Losers that are lighting off their lame fireworks..at the same time that really brilliant fireworks are being lit off by the local communities. Idiots.
Rax: you are correct - anyone who uses them, e.g fireworks accepts the risks, as this man did. Same goes for motorcycles, boating (someone was killed near Statue of Liberty this weekend), flying, surfing, mountaineering, etc. Life contains a particle of risk.
Hey Pat, you're an ignoramous. Why dont you keep your stupid comments to yourself.
Im very involved with pyrotechnics and know the destructive power of fireworks. Fireworks are a form of art to many of us and expresses a great deal of creativity, and not to mention they require a vast knowledge of chemistry to understand the way they work. You Pat, are probably too stupid to make a paper airplane.
I feel bad that this happened but this guy obviously did not take any safety precautions.. thats what happens when you dont respect the power of these things.
It was a mortar bomb firework that exploded out of a three foot metal launching pipe, WHAT THE HELL IS A MOTER BOMB ?
When Smith lit the skyrocket off, SKYROCKET . . . NOW ITS A
SKYROCKET . . . DUDE. . . YOU REALLY REALLY NEED A LEASON
IN PYROTECHNOLGY. . .BAD !
for the record I dont condone doing this stuff in a densely populated area where neighbors are at risk. But you Pat make some ignorant comment that "people who light fireworks are losers." Just to let you know smart person, the fireworks this guy happened to have are 1.3g, or class b, which are the same ones that you see in pro shows. I know plenty of people who create the most beautiful aerial shell effects you could ever imagine, and they are far from losers.
Btw the mortars pictured here look to be at least 4-6 inches. Any body part exposed to a shell launch of that size will be blown off or apart. Think things through well people before you risk life and limb
Hey Chrid...no need to resort to personal name-calling. I'm an ignoramous because i dont want to participate in the idiocy of your "pyrotechnics"...which i remember were performed by the likes of you that killed several people at a rock concert a few years ago? Ok...you go on worshiping the church of lost life/limbs. I'll stay safe and agree with the earlier poster re: Darwin. Idiots.
agree with martin, the writer of this article needs to take 5-10 minutes to research pyrotechnic devices before they write nonsense like "mortar bombs." They are called aerial shells and they get launched out of different sized mortar tubes.
Well Chrid..then we agree...you dont condone the "losers" in my neighborhood. Good luck. And...i couldnt care less about your technical knowledge of that stuff. I have absolutely ZERO interest in it. I live in the real world. If professionals..as you have indicated..are risking their lives setting this stuff off (which i dont buy because the really big stuff is now set off by computer) then i dont want to see it. I'd rather give praise to the real heroes of the USA...the fighting men and women of our military....not to mention the men and women at home keeping peace (police and fire fighters etc)
No Pat, youre just lame and pathetic. Life is full of risks.. some are not well calculated. This incident is an example of that. And "my fireworks" didnt kill a single person (for the record, you saying that makes you an ignoramous). I have made aerial shells myself and the work and creativity that goes into making them takes creativity and lots of time. People who know what they are doing wouldnt dream of lighting a shell like that less than 500 feet from any crowd.
Chrid..i know what i'm doing...and part of what i am doing..is "not" doing your idiotic "pyrotechnics". I'll go on living a normal happy life with its normal risks while you play with your abnormal sis boom bah toys. Have a nice life.
Chrid..i know what i'm doing...and part of what i am doing..is "not" doing your idiotic "pyrotechnics". I'll go on living a normal happy life with its normal risks while you play with your abnormal sis boom bah toys. Have a nice life.
Pat, a normal happy life with its normal risks? Your comment reminds me of the Star Trek Episode "Tapestry" when Captain Picard lived an alternative existence in another timeline as a dreary man in a tedious job
"Q" commenting to Picard (about Picard's alternate life)
So his life never came into focus. He drifted through much of his career, with no plan or agenda, going from one assignment to the next, never seizing the opportunities that presented themselves. He never led the away team on Milika III to save the ambassador; or take charge of the Stargazer's bridge when its captain was killed. And no one ever offered him a command. He learned to play it safe. And he never, ever, got noticed by anyone.
Hey yall.. Just got the news about this from my family. I'm here down in Texas and I hear that my cousin was severly wounded at a family BBQ. I read the comments you all left. My cousin is not a loser, by any means. A loser writes deragatory comments about people they dont know... ON LINE. We all wish nothing but the best for Eric and know he's not the type of guy to go online and jusge people that he doesn't know. thank you to all of you who understand what a tragedy this is. And he will be paying for his mistake for the rest of his life, but we forgive him. Being the type of person that he is, he needs no redeeming for this mistake.
Chrid..i know what i'm doing...and part of what i am doing..is "not" doing your idiotic "pyrotechnics". I'll go on living a normal happy life with its normal risks while you play with your abnormal sis boom bah toys. Have a nice life.
Eric needs support not censure. What happened was a terrible tragedy that could have happened to anyone. There's nothing to forgive, or judge. He accepted the risks that are no different from going down stairs, walking the dog, shooting firearms, etc. Life contains risk. It's in everything we do. The newspapers say he stood over the mortar tube when a shell ignited. If so, that was a mistake. Don't know why he did that, maybe he thought all the shells were spent. But my position is unchanged: consumer fireworks are relatively safe when handled properly and used in accordance with the manufacturer's directions.
In NY State fireworks are supposedly illegal.
What a joke. I was driving home on the fourth and there were fireworks EVERYWHERE.
This is a problem in out state and country - we say something and then do not follow up on it.
Either make Fireworks illegal - and enforce it (keep people from getting them) or remove the law.
This guy had a 3-inch "professional" type firework and did not even try to hide it - he lit it off on his front yard.
I hope he becomes a speaker against fireworks and tries to do some good out of this.
I happen to know Eric, and he's honestly a great guy, and we are all praying for him. He knows he messed up and made a big mistake, there is no reason for people to say any negative thing about the situation, because I guarantee if it was your brother, husband, son, uncle, or even friend, none of you would be speaking like this.
And another piece of information, the mortar was the type they use in firework shows, and a computer is used to light off the mortars, and therefore the fuse was very short, and fast. He did not know it was the wrong type of firework to light off like that. He did not just stand there and wait for his arm to be blown off
little boys and their toys what can you? YOU HAVE TO LEARN THE HARD WAY. thou shall not worship false gods before me for i am a jealous God. i spent some calendars in the martial arts kicking and gettingkicked butt . i found a wayout so can you in christ.. amenfor your recovery.
This was a terrible tragedy. Hope people learned something from this. Our prayers are with Eric and his family.
Mark to Gill Bates: I disagree with you. I think fireworks should be legal in all States and one who chooses to partake does so at his/her own risk. It's no different than smoking or anything else that has risk. If Steph is correct, Eric did not ignite consumer grade pyrotechnics. If that's the case you can't blame fireworks for this tragedy.
Hey everyone I'm really close to his cousin that lives across the street from me and his family seems to be well but i will continue to pray for him.
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