A man blew his left arm off after illegally using fireworks Saturday evening in Islip Terrace, Suffolk County police said.
Eric Smith, 36, was shooting mortars out of a three-foot-long metal tube in the street across from his house at 5:45 p.m., police said. As the firework shot from the metal launching tube, it hit Smith in his left arm, completely severing it from his body, police said.
Smith was taken to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and is listed in serious condition.
Friends nearby when the incident occurred placed his severed limb on ice before transporting it with him to the hospital. It is believed doctors will try to reattach the arm to his body.