Warning — Smoking is Dangerous to Your Health
Mike Hartnett, 36, of Omaha, Neb., had found a firework shell in his son’s closet. He pulled it out to get rid of it when a hot ash fell from his cigarette and ignited the fuse. He told his son to run, but didn’t drop the device. It exploded, blowing out the window and shredding his hands. “Some of my fingers were off, some were still hanging,” Hartnett said. Doctors considered removing both hands entirely, but a plastic surgeon managed to save two fingers on each hand. “He saved me,” Hartnett said, and “gave me a fighting chance.” And the lesson he learned? “I’d tell people to soak [fireworks] in water and get rid of them as fast as you can.” (Omaha World Herald) ...Of the hundreds of thousands of people who will read this story, I’ll bet more than 99 percent will see a far different lesson.
Available in This is True: Book Collection Vol. 12