Calif. Father Loses Hand Clearing Up Fireworks Debris from Fourth of July Celebrations on Beach
Calif. Father Loses Hand Clearing Up Fireworks Debris from Fourth of July Celebrations on Beach
Adam EnglandThu, July 9, 2026 at 11:54 AM UTC
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Jason Turner; Point St. George BeachCredit: GoFundMe; Getty -
A man has lost his hand after picking up firework debris thought to be left over from the Fourth of July celebrations on a California beach on Saturday, July 5
The man, named as Jason Turner on a fundraiser set up by his daughter, had to undergo surgery to amputate his hand and also sustained damage to his eyes and ears
Police believe the object was a homemade firework and an investigation into the incident remains ongoing
A man has lost his hand while picking up firework debris following California’s Fourth of July celebrations over the weekend.
The man was in the parking lot of Point St. George Beach in Crescent City, in the north of the state, on Sunday, July 5, police confirmed.
In a statement, the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to a report of an explosion causing an injury and confirmed that deputies found a man in the Point St. George parking lot with a “significant injury” to his hand.
He was transported to Sutter Coast Hospital via ambulance, police said, while CBS News reported that he was moved to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Calif.
Jason TurnerCredit: GoFundMe
Police said that the beach area was searched after the explosion and that an investigation into the cause is ongoing. If anyone has any information, they are urged to contact the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers also reminded people not to touch any suspected explosive devices, instead moving a safe distance away and contacting law enforcement immediately.
The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office did not officially identify the man, but his daughter, Ashley Turner, named him as Jason in a GoFundMe fundraiser.
Jason TurnerCredit: GoFundMe
Ashley explained that he was walking along Point St. George Beach with his girlfriend, Pamala Ganfield, on Sunday, July 5, as they picked up firework trash, when he picked up a “bomb-like device that unexpectedly went off,” causing an explosion that “resulted in the loss of his hand.”
“He went down to pick it up, and I was like, ‘No,’ and then that was the last thing I remembered,” Ganfield said.
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Jason Turner’s arm after the incidentCredit: GoFundMe
“It looked like something out of a murder scene, the way he was bleeding and the way that his hand was gushing.”
Speaking to CBS News, she explained that she used her shirt as a tourniquet to halt the bleeding until emergency services reached the area.
Capt. Kyle Stevens from the Sheriff’s Office told the San Francisco Chronicle it’s thought the object was a homemade firework.
Ashley shared that Jason had his hand amputated and is awaiting more surgeries, while he has also suffered some vision and hearing loss that may be permanent.
In an update shared on Wednesday, July 8, Ashley said her father has metal fragments in his eyes and blood pooling behind his left eye, requiring further surgery. “His right eardrum is blown and he has no hearing out of it,” she added.
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The money raised via her fundraiser will go toward medication, transportation to and from medical appointments and hotel stays for Jason and his family during treatment.
“He is the sole provider for his family of seven and still has two children in school to care for,” Ashley wrote. “Every bit of support will help ease the burden and allow Jason to focus on healing.”
on People
Source: “AOL Breaking”
