A man cleaning up Fourth of July trash at a Northern California beach lost a hand when an object exploded as he picked it up.
Emergency responders were called Sunday afternoon to Point St. George Beach, near Crescent City, the Del Norte County sheriff’s office said. They found the man conscious with a severe injury to his left hand; he was taken to a hospital in Crescent City.
A GoFundMe campaign identified the man as Jason Turner, from Klamath, and said the hand had to be amputated. It said he is the sole provider for his family, including two school-age children.
His girlfriend, who was on the beach with him, was not injured.
The sheriff’s office told the San Francisco Chronicle that the item that exploded was believed to be a homemade firework.