Gardener loses fingers, portion of vision after leftover firework explodes in his hands in Torrance
A gardener suffered serious injuries when he picked up an unlit firework last weekend while working in Torrance, losing most of one of his hands, several fingers on the other and a portion of his vision.
Hector Mayoral, 37, had just finished working on several yards on 173rd Street the afternoon of July 8 when he picked up what he thought was trash to throw in the back of his truck.
"He said it all happened so fast that when he reached for it all he noticed was that it was a ball but you don't ever think it's going to explode so it blew up right in his face and he felt like it pushed him back," Mayoral said while speaking to KCAL News through a translator.
The moment was captured on one of the neighbor's doorbell camera just after he picked up the firework. The large explosion sends a plume of smoke into the air, noticeably shaking the truck behind him.
Amongst the many injuries he suffered from the explosion, Mayoral lost three teeth, all of the sight in his right eye and his left hand. Three of the fingers on his right hand have been fused together by doctors.
The remnants of blood could still seen staining the interior of the Mayoral family's work truck, amongst other damage from the blast.
Despite it all, Mayoral says he's glad that it was him who picked up the firework and not one of the many children living in the area.
Mayoral and his family have been working in the neighborhood for years, prompting many of the neighbors to come together to help bring attention to the senseless incident.
"I ran over to try to help him," said Ken Lucas, one of the neighbors who came running when he heard the noise of the explosion. "I wrapped, used the strap around his arm, as a tourniquet, the best I knew how."
They're working on setting up a GoFundMe account to help raise funds for Mayoral, whose medical expenses are extremely high.
"It's so senseless. You know, these things are illegal — they're bombs, you know? They're literally bombs — and they're just dropping in people's yards. It's just wrong," Lucas said.
