Central Minnesota man suffers ‘extensive injuries’ after firework explodes in hand

A central Minnesota man was taken to a hospital Wednesday night due to a firework exploding in his hand.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says at about 7:46 p.m., officers responded to a report of a medical emergency along Hilltop Road in Munson Township.

There, police found a victim—identified as 31-year-old Neal Schmitt, of Richmond—with extensive injuries to his hand. Schmitt told authorities that a firework had exploded in his hand.

He was then transported to North Memorial Hospital by North Air for treatment for his injuries.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission lists several safety tips when using fireworks, including:

• Never place any part of the body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse
• Never try to relight or pick up fireworks that haven’t fully ignited
• Keep a bucket of water or garden hose nearby
• Light fireworks one at a time, and move away from the firework quickly
• After fireworks have been ignited and complete their burning, douse the spent device with water before discarding it