A New Year’s Eve celebration turned into a medical emergency for Jonathan Davis after a faulty firecracker exploded in his face.
“We were out there shooting firecrackers, and everything was going good. We had already shot a bunch of them, and then we were getting to some of the bigger ones towards the end for the grand finale at the house,” explained Jonathan. “There was a firecracker that my oldest daughter wanted to shoot that goes up and just makes a really loud boom. I told her it was fine, but whenever I grabbed it to hand it to her, the explosive ball on top was kind of loose. I told her that I was going to shoot it just to make sure everything was okay with it and that I didn’t feel comfortable with her shooting it. I struck my cigarette lighter to light the fuse, and I’m guessing the ball had a crack or something in it. As soon as I hit my cigarette lighter, the particles in the air trailed up to it and it exploded right there in my face. I’m extremely thankful that it didn’t happen to my oldest daughter, and I’m extremely blessed to be here. It wasn’t a homemade firecracker; it was legit. It was just an extreme freak accident of the firecracker being faulty. It wasn’t on the firecracker guy I got it from or anything like that. It was just a bad accident.”
Naturally, the accident put him in the hospital in Jackson for a few weeks to take care of the injuries he sustained from the explosion, including some damage to his hearing and eyes. Through it all, he has remained positive about everything.
“I lost everything but my ring finger and my pinky on my right hand, and I lost the tip of my thumb, my index finger, and the middle finger on my left hand. It’s going to be a different road going forward, but it’s not going to change the way I look at things or change how I feel about things. It’s going to be a little more difficult, but we’re going to make it work. I’m just thankful to be alive and here. It’s like I told my boss, I’m going to be a little less handy,” expressed Jonathan. “I hate that it happened, but I’m glad it happened to me because I have good spirits about it. I haven’t gotten down about it. I’m just glad everyone else around me was fine.”
In order to help with the hospital costs, a fish fry benefit has been scheduled for Saturday, February 8, at The Bridge (formerly Bridge Street Grill) in Enterprise from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. There will be plates containing three pieces of fish, fries, coleslaw, dessert, and a drink for only $15. Raffle tickets for the chance to win a homemade tailgate grill donated by J.T. Gilbert at Quitman Welding and Scrap are also available for $5 a ticket or $20 for five tickets. They will draw for the raffle after the fish fry ends.
Jonathan and his family appreciate all the prayers and help they have already been given since the accident occurred.
“I appreciate everybody that is going to show up to the fish fry,” proclaimed Jonathan. “Thanks for all the prayers and the support going through this. A lot of people have shown up and showed out helping me by helping around the house and offering to help with anything they could possibly do. I can’t put into words how much I really appreciate all the prayers and support and everything I’ve gotten through this. I do want people to know that whenever they are shooting fireworks, if it doesn’t seem right and feels broken or loose, then don’t shoot it.”
Come out to The Bridge in Enterprise from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on February 8 and help support Jonathan at the Fish Fry Benefit.
