DELTONA, Fla. – A Deltona man severed his hand after lighting a firework while inside a truck, according to Volusia County deputies.

  • Deltona man lights fireworks inside pickup truck
  • The man severed his hand and was taken to a hospital
  • Deputies found pieces of the man's hand and blood inside the truck

Authorities were called to a home on Newmark Drive on Sunday after reports of a loud explosion.

When they arrived, they found a blue pickup truck with a shattered windshield parked on the side of the road. They also found a man lying on the ground with a severed left hand that was bleeding profusely, an incident report said.

A responding deputy applied a tourniquet to help slow the bleeding. The man was taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford.

The man's friend, who was driving the truck, told deputies that all he remembered was lighting a cigarette before hearing a loud explosion, according to the report.

Inside the truck, deputies found the remnants of the firework and a red torch lighter. They also found pieces of the man's hand and blood inside the truck.

Deputies believe the man removed the "aerial starburst projectile" from the firework and placed it in his hand before lighting it.  Since the fusing system on the starburst projectile didn't have a delay, it "exploded immediately," deputies said.

Hospital staff told deputies that the man's hand would likely be amputated.