It has already been a year since Jason Pierre-Paul, the defensive end for the New York Giants, seriously injured himself while playing with fireworks for a Fourth of July celebration. And now, Pierre-Paul is using his unfortunate experience about the real dangers of fireworks.
On July 4 last year, the 27-year-old athlete celebrated Independence Day at his home by lighting up a couple of fireworks. However, since these noise-makers are dangerously unpredictable, Pierre-Paul miscalculated the time it takes for one of them to explode.
Because of this, the firecracker exploded while he was still holding it in his right hand, which then resulted in the amputation of his index finger. The other fingers in his right hand were also left mangled because of the accident.
The incident last year almost ended Pierre-Paul his career in the NFL. Even the Giants weren't sure if he could carry on with his contract and return as an active player on their roster. Thankfully though, he was able to recover from the accident and still continues to play as effectively as before.
For Pierre-Paul, his experience last year was definitely a life-changing one. That's why he agreed to appear in the Fireworks Public Service Announcement that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released in time for the Fourth of July holiday.
"So Fourth of July, I lit up a firework, thought I could throw it away real quick and in a split second blew off my whole hand just right there," he said in the video.
"On the way to the hospital, all I could do is think about my son and was I going to make it?" he continued. "Now I'm just truly blessed to be alive. Now when I look at fireworks I think about the safety."
But aside from his powerful message, Pierre-Paul also held up both his hands in front of the camera. Although it's already been a year after his accident, his mangled right hand still clearly shows just how dangerous fireworks can be.
Pierre-Paul and Elliot Kaye, the chairman of the CPSC then ended the PSA by telling everyone that lighting up fireworks should only be left to the professionals.
