A Fourth of July celebration took a devastating turn for two Southern California teenagers, as they suffered severe hand injuries, potentially resulting in amputations. Now, one of their mothers is urgently warning others to be cautious.
Maria Escalante, mother to twin boys, shared with CBS News how her son, along with a friend, ignited an illegal firework that they had found on the streets of Anaheim. The firework exploded in their hands almost immediately.
As a result, Escalante’s son lost several fingers on his right hand and is currently in the hospital with both hands heavily bandaged.
His twin brother, who witnessed the harrowing incident, is deeply traumatized by what transpired, according to Escalante.
“He’s really not doing well. He will likely remain in the hospital for around two months. His hands are severely damaged,” Escalante explained to CBS.
The devastated mother said that her son would need reconstructive surgery, but if there isn’t blood circulation in his surviving fingers, then the only way forward would be to amputate his fingers.
“They’re going to do their best to reconstruct his hands, but they can’t guarantee nothing. … They’re going to see if he has proper circulation going to the last fingers he has, to the few fingers he has left in his hand,” she told the news outlet.
Escalante went back to the scene on S. Mountain View and found pieces of the illegal firework. She is demanding that the Anaheim Police Department investigate the pipeline of the pyrotechnics.
“His [the other teen’s] mother told me that every year they sell illegal fireworks here, so I don’t know if the Anaheim Police Department knows about this or not, but they need to start investigating,” she said. She added the other boy’s hands were also badly injured.
Illegal fireworks continue to pose a severe safety threat throughout California.
According to 2023 data from the California Department of Public Health, fireworks incidents led to 718 emergency department visits and 200 nonfatal hospitalizations across the state.
Last month, The California Post reported that banned fireworks are steadily streaming into the Golden State from Nevada, where a dozen retailers are seeing a substantial influx of California buyers seeking to evade local bans.
The devastating consequences of these explosives were seen at a Fourth of July party last year, when an 8-year-old girl lost her life after a man ignited an illegal $400 cake packed with professional-grade explosives that ultimately malfunctioned.