OLYMPIA — A man was flown to Harborview Medical Center on Saturday night after he suffered serious injuries to his hand, face, legs and groin, according to the West Thurston Regional Fire Authority.
The injuries were the result of a fireworks explosion, Capt. Lanette Dyer said.
At about 11 p.m. Saturday, the Fire Department responded to the incident in the 10000 block of Littlerock Road Southwest. That’s where they found the man, thought to be in his 40s, who had been setting off aerial fireworks in PVC pipe during a July Fourth-type party, Dyer said.
The man apparently thought his fuse had gone out, so he bent over to relight it when the pipe exploded, Dyer said. He suffered serious injuries as a result, including to his left hand, she said. Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies were the first to arrive on scene and they applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, Dyer said. The man was later flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Another man also was injured, but he declined medical attention, likely because he was too concerned about his friend, she said. Dyer said the man may have suffered a concussion or ear injury as a result of the explosion.
The man said he would drive himself to the hospital, Dyer said.
