A 15-year-old boy lost part of his leg, multiple fingers and may be permanently blind after a homemade “sparkler bomb” exploded in front of him over the weekend.
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Rowdy Radford before the accident.
Family members called 911, and a helicopter took Rowdy to Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
The boys’ families say the sparkler bomb blew a four-foot hole in the ground and was heard by neighbors as far as 4 miles away.
Radford’s fingers, which were blown off during the explosion as well, have been reattached, but may not work.
Radford’s mother, Wendy Smith, told KHOU this was not the first time her son experimented with fireworks. His left leg is amputated below the knee, his chest and face are severely burned, and his eyes are heavily bandaged due to metal chards that propelled into them during the explosion.
Along with Radford, another boy, also suffered injuries, albeit less serious. “We didn’t know this was going to be a big one”, she said.
Reece reported that YouTube video clips show teens all over the country making similar devices.
People of all ages need to think twice about setting off their own fireworks at home, even if they are as small as sparklers; they can cause irreparable harm.
Typically, Rowdy uses one sparkler as a fuse to light the rest in one massive boom.
“It’s really hard to see your baby go through all this”, his mother said. “I just want the parents to know don’t let your kids play with fireworks; it’s not worth it”.
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A friend of the Radford family organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the teen’s medical expenses. “It hurts because I want to see my kid talk to me and he’s not because he can’t”.
