Illegal fireworks? Unfortunate accident.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/bla...b7Kz&ocid=iehp
A blast in Central Park severed the foot of a young man visiting New York from northern Virginia Sunday, witnesses said.
The NYPD’s bomb squad was investigating the area of the park near E. 68th St. and Fifth Ave.
Witnesses said the victim stepped on a device or fireworks, causing the blast.
His foot was “all but gone,†one witness told the Daily News.
Two of the victim's shocked friends described the ghastly sight moments before being taken away in an ambulance.
"We don't know what happened. There was a small explosion and then dust," said one friend who didn't give his name. "We really don't know."
"We don't know the caliber of the firework," said the second friend.
Police said they were responding to an "amputation incident." Medics rushed the victim to Bellevue Hospital.
The explosion was heard by attendees of Elie Wiesel’s funeral on E. 61st St. — though there was no sign the blast was related to the memorial for the Pulitzer Prize winning Holocaust survivor.
Witness John Murphy, 53, said he tried to keep the young man conscious following the explosion.
"I saw his friends standing there panicking. I saw the young man laying on the grass. His foot is all but gone. His friends claimed he was walking down the rocks and he stepped on it. It looks like there was an explosion,†Murphy said.
He asked the group if they were carrying fireworks or something similar.
“They said, ‘We didn't have anything. He stepped on something!" Murphy recalled.
“It was an explosive of some sort. The damage is just awful. I didn't see any metal. It was very weird.â€
He said the victim remained conscious.
"He's a very tough young man. He's got a very severe injury," he said. "We just stayed with him, held his hand and tried to keep him present and make sure he didn't go into shock."
Sara Gordon, 27, was also nearby at the time of the explosion.
"His left foot looked severed. It was very graphic," she said. "I was running back and forth to direct the police here. It sounded like a cannon. I thought it was a 4th of July thing."
A blast in Central Park severed the foot of a young man visiting New York from northern Virginia Sunday, witnesses said.
The NYPD’s bomb squad was investigating the area of the park near E. 68th St. and Fifth Ave.
Witnesses said the victim stepped on a device or fireworks, causing the blast.
His foot was “all but gone,†one witness told the Daily News.
Two of the victim's shocked friends described the ghastly sight moments before being taken away in an ambulance.
"We don't know what happened. There was a small explosion and then dust," said one friend who didn't give his name. "We really don't know."
"We don't know the caliber of the firework," said the second friend.
Police said they were responding to an "amputation incident." Medics rushed the victim to Bellevue Hospital.
The explosion was heard by attendees of Elie Wiesel’s funeral on E. 61st St. — though there was no sign the blast was related to the memorial for the Pulitzer Prize winning Holocaust survivor.
Witness John Murphy, 53, said he tried to keep the young man conscious following the explosion.
"I saw his friends standing there panicking. I saw the young man laying on the grass. His foot is all but gone. His friends claimed he was walking down the rocks and he stepped on it. It looks like there was an explosion,†Murphy said.
He asked the group if they were carrying fireworks or something similar.
“They said, ‘We didn't have anything. He stepped on something!" Murphy recalled.
“It was an explosive of some sort. The damage is just awful. I didn't see any metal. It was very weird.â€
He said the victim remained conscious.
"He's a very tough young man. He's got a very severe injury," he said. "We just stayed with him, held his hand and tried to keep him present and make sure he didn't go into shock."
Sara Gordon, 27, was also nearby at the time of the explosion.
"His left foot looked severed. It was very graphic," she said. "I was running back and forth to direct the police here. It sounded like a cannon. I thought it was a 4th of July thing."
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