11-year-old loses fingers in fireworks explosion: MI cops

According to River Rouge police, a neighbor who is a nurse placed a tourniquet on the girl’s arm.

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An 11-year-old girl lost multiple fingers after setting off fireworks in the bathroom of her home, local Michigan police said.

According to WDIV, River Rouge Police responded on June 27 around 5 p.m. to reports of a house explosion.

“The scene was chaotic,” River Rouge Deputy Police Chief Dasumo Mitchell told WJBK.

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Based on the structural damage to the house, police believe “the explosive device was larger than an M-80 pistol and detonated inside,” Mitchell said.

According to police station WJBK, the fireworks were between 7.5 and 10 cm long.

According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, M-80 projectiles, which are illegal in the U.S., are half the size.

Police say the 11-year-old and her sister thought the firework was something smaller, like a sparkler.

The girl was holding an explosive device when it went off, causing “serious injuries to her right hand,” Mitchell said.

Police said the girls’ mother was at work, so they ran down the street to a neighbor’s house to ask for help.

“One of the neighbors is a nurse and she immediately applied a tourniquet, so credit to her for her quick thinking,” Mitchell told WDIV.

Authorities said the 11-year-old lost four fingers in the accident, WDIV reported.

According to news outlets, an investigation into the accident has been initiated.

River Rouge is located about 10 miles southwest of Detroit.

Lauren Liebhaber is a national real-time reporter for McClatchy.