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Man Loses Hand In Fireworks Accident At St. Pete Home

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2007

Updated: 12/28/2007 04:20 pm

ST. PETERSBURG - A St. Petersburg fireworks display operator lost his left hand Thursday night as he was trying to pry open a pyrotechnic mortar with a screwdriver and it exploded, authorities said.

Paul Clements, 46, also had injuries to his eyes, face, right arm and upper body, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

He was taken to Bayfront Medical Center after the 11:30 p.m. blast, and was in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

"Due to the nature of Clements' injuries, deputies have been unable to interview him completely to learn why he was trying to pry open the fireworks shell," sheriff's spokeswoman Marianne Pasha said.

Pasha said Clements was at the home of neighbor and friend Mark Wolf, 4910 52nd St. N., St. Petersburg. Clements had been staying in a bedroom at the house recently. There, Wolf, 49, Wolf's son, Carson, 11, and Carson's friend Cassie Techton, 11, watched Clements as he tried to pry open the mortar, the spokesperson said.

The explosion blew out the windows and caused smoke damage to the house, Pasha said.

Tony Giaccone, a neighbor who lives behind Wolf, was awakened by the blast and, when he went outside, he saw Mark Wolf coming out of the home "in shock and there was blood on him and stuff," he said.

After Giaccone made it inside with his wife Jane, they saw Clements and comforted him, he said.

"Paul was was laying on the floor and his hand was completely blown off and he was hurting, he was a hurting man," Giaccone said. "So we just comforted him and they called 911… it was horrible to see. We just kept him awake, kept him going, to make sure he was OK."

Wolf and the children were treated at Bayfront and released, the sheriff's office said. Pasha said Wolf suffered singed hair and a concussive injury to his hearing; Wolf's son also suffered a hearing injury; and his friend Cassie received a burn to his right arm and a hearing injury.

Deputies were told that Clements is experienced with handling large fireworks, is licensed, has designed fireworks displays, and that he intended to present one in Steinhatchee during the New Year's weekend. Outside the house, in the bed of a pickup truck Clements was using, were racks of mortar launching tubes, Pasha said.

"This wasn't your typical firecracker going off in the house, this is a bomb," said Lt. Jim Millican, of Lealman Fire District, whose firefighters responded to the blast. "This is what they use to put out your large displays that you see New Year's."

Clements' mother Edna, 77, said Clements has been preparing fireworks displays at various locations throughout Florida, including Kissimmee, for more than a dozen years.

Paul Clements and Wolf, both of whom work in the lawn maintenance industry, put on the displays together, she said.

"They've been doing it together for years," the mother of eight told The Tampa Tribune this morning. "That's why I'm wondering what went wrong. It had to be a faulty wire or faulty something because they know how to handle the fireworks."

"My son is really cautious," she said. "He goes by the rules because he knows how dangerous it is."

Edna Clements said her son's wife, Jackie, and their two children were at Bayfront with Clements, who was being moved from the emergency room to a regular room.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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