Mortar Firework Ignites While Man Still Holds It, Loses Most Of His Hand

NEW HAVEN (WWJ) -- Deputies were called to a home in the Village of New Haven over the weekend where they found a 37-year-old man on his knees in the front room of the house with a towel over his hand.

Officers learned that the man was on the patio holding a mortar in his hand when it blew up, destroying most of his left hand leaving only the index finger and thumb.

According to an eyewitness, the man was on a patio behind the home and holding a mortar in his hand when it went off sending debris several hundred feet into the air.

The man was initially transported by ambulance to a hospital in Mount Clemens, but was subsequently flown to University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor for further treatment.

Police said alcohol was a factor in the incident.