A California gardener reportedly suffered severe injuries after unintentionally picking up a suspected firework July 8.
Hector Mayoral was working in Torrance when he picked up an object apparently similar to a golf ball, according to KTLA. Intending to throw it away, Mayoral instead saw the ball-like object explode, severing much of his left hand and burning his face, the outlet reported.
“There were fingers in the street and a lot of flesh parts in the street,” Ken Lucas, who heard the blast from across the street, told KTLA.
Lucas said he quickly “grabbed a strap” out of his garage before running over and “wrapp[ing] it around the gardener’s arm” amid the “gruesome” scene.
Hector Mayoral and his brother were working on July 8 when he noticed what he thought looked like a golf ball near his work truck, which was parked on the street. When Mayoral picked the object up, thinking it was trash, it immediately exploded. https://t.co/eKtALvUn33
— The Hill (@thehill) July 17, 2023
Paramedics, police and a bomb squad eventually turned up at the scene. The explosive was probably an unexploded Fourth of July firework, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
Mayoral lost vision in his right eye and suffered lacerations across his body, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Suspected Gas Explosion In Paris Leaves Multiple Injured, In Critical Condition)
The gardener reportedly faces a long road to recovery, one that could include eye surgery and a prosthetic for his hand, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Ernesto Mayoral, Hector’s brother, said his daughter is distraught that her uncle has not been able to play with her anymore, KTLA reported.