By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A former Toledo man lost part of his hand last night when a mortar-type firework exploded as he was setting it off.
Aid called about 7:30 p.m. to the 1000 block of Grand Avenue in Centralia arranged for the 34-year-old to be airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Thomas Eric Strom underwent emergency surgery overnight, according to his older sister.
“The surgery, thank God, was successful,” Tanya Strom Gadsden said this morning. “He’s alive and we’re really lucky.”
Gadsden said her brother was in good spirits when she arrived at the hospital last night, but is expected to have a slow recovery.
“As soon as it was lit, it blew up,” she said. “We’re thankful it was his left hand, he’s right handed.”
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Dusty Breen said Strom had purchased the firework earlier in the day at the Chehalis Reservation.
He was holding the tube so it wouldn’t tip over, Breen said.
“The projectile that fires up (into the air) for whatever reason didn’t leave the tube,” Breen said.
The trauma to his hand was substantial, according to responders.
Strom is from Toledo but lives in Idaho, where he works as a salesman, according to his sister. He was getting ready to leave on a business trip and was visiting friends, she said.
Fireworks are not legal to light off until this coming Thursday.
Under state law, fireworks are allowed to be set off between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. during the week around the Fourth of July, except they can go one hour later on July 4 and can’t start until noon on June 28, according to Breen. After July 5, they are prohibited until New Years.
Certain cities may have more restrictions on the hours.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter