A man has lost his hand and has “metal fragments in his eyes” after picking up a “bomb-like device” on a California beach.
The man, identified as Jason Turner, picked up the explosive while walking along the beach with his girlfriend, Pamala Ganfield, and collecting firework debris post-July 4, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by his daughter.
“The explosion resulted in the loss of his hand, turning what should have been a simple act of kindness into a life-changing emergency,” his daughter, Ashley, revealed.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that Jason was rushed to Sutter Coast Hospital.
The incident unfolded on July 5, with deputies from the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office discovering the man in the parking lot at Point St. George Beach, an area just 3 miles north of downtown Crescent City.
The sheriff’s office believes that the explosive was a homemade firework around 6 inches long, Captain Kyle Stevens told The San Francisco Chronicle.
On the campaign page, Ashley revealed that her dad’s injured hand was amputated.
In an update, Ashley shared that Jason’s right eardrum was blown and that he has been left without hearing in that ear. He will also be undergoing additional surgeries for his eyes.
“He has metal fragments stuck in his eyes and behind his left eye he has blood pulling (sic),” Ashley wrote.
According to her, the road to recovery will be “long and difficult” with funds from the campaign going towards transportation to and from medical appointments, medications, and hotel stays for him and his family during treatment.
Jason is the sole provider for a family of seven, Ashley says, and has two children still in school.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that an investigation into the cause of the explosion has been launched, and the beach area was searched after the incident.
Deputies have since continued to search the beach for additional explosives.
Pamala, Jason’s girlfriend, told The Los Angeles Times that the object resembled a shiny box with nails sticking out of it.
“He went down to pick it up, and I was like, ‘No,’ and then that was the last thing I remembered,” she said, before describing the aftermath as “something out of a murder scene.”
Pamala also told the publication that she remembers Jason telling her that he needed a tourniquet, prompting her to rip her shirt off to stop the blood “squirting out of his hand, like a bottle.”
Pamala was not injured during the incident. Jason is now being treated at UC Davis Medical Center.
