Florida man blows off most of his hand in fireworks mishap

(Updated …) We always hear how important it is to be safe when handling fireworks because it’s easy to blow your hand off – and on the evening of December 28, that prospect came true for one Central Florida man. Corey Waugh, 27, of Deltona was driving with a friend in a pickup truck near his Volusia County home and transporting some fireworks that were stored in the truck’s back seat.  One of those fireworks ignited and ended up partially severing Corey’s hand and perforating both of his eardrums, according to a report from WPTV.

Versions of how that firework ignited will differ depending on who you talk to.

The driver of the truck has been identified as Kyle Lefleur, also 27.  A GoFundMe page, “A Helping Hand for Corey,” has been started and seeks to raise $100,000 to cover Waugh’s medical expenses.  Waugh has already undergone several surgeries.

According to that GoFundMe page organized by Corey’s father, Brian Waugh, the devastated dad’s version of the story is that Corey and a friend were driving to a store on the night of the accident to buy a pack of cigarettes after recently purchasing some fireworks for a New Year’s Eve celebration. The father went on to write:

Corey’s friend was driving the vehicle and was smoking a cigarette. Corey was in the passenger seat and the fireworks were in the backseat. When Corey’s friend finished his cigarette, he flicked it out of the driver’s door window, but it flew back into the vehicle and landed in the backseat with the fireworks.

The cigarette ignited one of the fireworks, specifically a mortar shell, which is the most powerful and explosive variety of all fireworks available to purchase.

When Corey realized that the cigarette ignited the mortar shell, he immediately went into action, reached into the backseat, grabbed the mortar shell and tried to throw it out of his, the passenger door, window. Unfortunately, time was working against Corey and the mortar shell exploded before he could throw it out of the vehicle. Corey lost at least 80% of his left hand (maybe more…we don’t know the full extent of the damage yet), both of his eardrums were perforated causing hearing damage, possible damage to his eyes (again…we don’t know yet) and he sustained 3rd degree burns on his face.

When emergency officials arrived on the scene, the driver of the truck was holding Waugh as he laid on the ground bleeding profusely from his arm.  Volusia County deputies applied a tourniquet to Waugh’s arm and transported him to the hospital.

Early reports from hospital officials stated that Corey’s hand “would likely need to be amputated.”

Waugh’s friend told the deputies that “all he remembered was lighting a cigarette then hearing a loud explosion,” and that he could no longer hear out of one of his ears.

Following an investigation by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, officials now think that there’s more to the story on how the fireworks ignited. Deputies believe that Waugh intentionally ignited the firework.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood said that he and his investigators believe Waugh was injured using a lighter to ignite the firework, according to a report from The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Chitwood said the investigation shows the account the father gives on the website doesn’t add up, and that LeFleur and Waugh were handling a firework known as a Roman candle.

“Roman candles don’t go off by spontaneous combustion. It didn’t get lit by accident. Somebody had to light it up,” Chitwood said.

Chitwood said it may appear that Lefleur and Waugh intended to light the Roman candle and shoot it out the window as they drove but “things went sadly south.”

Corey’s father said that the version of what he believes happened is that is what he heard happened – and that he wouldn’t really know for sure until his son is able to talk again.

Brian Waugh keeps Corey’s GoFundMe page updated and last wrote that his son is still heavily sedated.

~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter