A 20-year-old Oxford man was taken to the hospital July 4 after losing some fingers to a firecracker that exploded too soon.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff Department report, fire department personnel were called to the home, where they found the man sitting on a chair on the balcony, with a severe hand injury and many of his right-hand fingers missing.
The OCSD reported a strong odor of intoxicants from the Oxford man as well as the other people present, who were also under the legal age for alcohol consumption.
Initially the man told deputies that he had cut himself on some glass, then said he’d ignited a firecracker that had gone off in his hand. The man said he had been drinking on a boat owned by a friend.
A 19-year-old Lake Orion man confirmed the account, saying the firecracker had gone off too quickly and caused injury to the man’s hand. Other witnesses denied seeing the incident. The Oxford man was transferred to the hospital for treatment.
? Lake Orion Review Staff Writer Lisa Valentine