_{Thumbnail photo: Jason Turner is at U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento where he is being treated for injuries sustained after an object exploded in his hand at Point St. George on Sunday. | Photo courtesy of Pamala Ganfield}

A Del Norte County man is at a Sacramento hospital after a fireworks explosion on the beach at Point St. George led to the amputation of his left hand. 

Jason Turner was walking the beach with his girlfriend, Pamala Ganfield, on Sunday, putting a few spent fireworks into a pile when they saw a shiny object in the sand. Ganfield said it looked like a bouncy ball with an opening at the end and a nail sticking out of it.

“He went to pick it up — I told him no — and boom, that was it,” Ganfield told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. “I couldn’t see. I couldn’t hear. It sounded like a bomb. I looked over and my boyfriend was on the ground bleeding and his hand was opened up like a banana.”

Ganfield ripped her shirt off to make a tourniquet and began running down the beach yelling for people to call 911. 

Emergency personnel responded to Point St. George at about 3:50 p.m. Sunday. Turner was transported to Sutter Coast Hospital and then flown to Sacramento where he’s currently receiving care.

According to Ganfield, Turner is currently in the intensive care unit at U.C. Davis Medical Center. In addition to the damage to his hand, Turner has lost much of his hearing as well as his eye sight, she said, though doctors say he may recover.

“They are still testing to see what all is wrong and he has to see the ophthalmologist when he gets out of the hospital,” she said.

Turner also needs additional surgeries on his wrist, Ganfield said.

Meanwhile, Turner’s daughter, Ashley, has created a GoFundMe page for her father. Turner’s daughter describes the item he picked up as a homemade bomb-like device that unexpectedly went off. 

Ashley Turner’s goal is to raise $3,000 with the funds paying for transportation to and from medical appointments, medication and hotel stays needed during her father’s treatment and recovery.

“If you are able to donate, please know that your kindness will make a real difference,” she writes. “Jason has always been there for others, and now, in this moment of need, any support you can offer would mean the world to their family.”

After the explosion and after her boyfriend was taken to the hospital, Ganfield said she went back to the beach to look at the area where the explosion took place. The water had risen by that point, she said, and there was no debris left behind.

Ganfield said the explosion also affected her hearing. But, she said, she’s focusing on Turner before she’s able to get it looked at.

Del Norte County Sheriff’s deputies also canvassed the area looking for remnants of the explosives, but were unable to find anything, Undersheriff Devin Perry said Monday. They were also unable to locate additional explosives, Perry said.

At Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting, Interim Fire Chief Bill Gillespie told elected officials about the explosion, though he described the holiday overall as mellow. 

Ganfield said that while the incident was an accident, she feels it could have been avoided.

“It would be very nice to make people aware, don’t just pick up anything you see on the beach, especially if it’s shining,” she said.