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Horrifying hometown-region imagery
2004-07-09 // 11:36 p.m.
New information furthers probe of fireworks mishap
By Rob Young/Appeal-Democrat
By Chris Kaufman/Appeal-Democrat
David Lappen, 11, of Medford, Ore., lifts his left arm Tuesday to show where he was hit by fireworks Sunday at Ellis Lake.
Investigators expect to know within a week whether the explosion that took the lower right leg of a 14-year-old Linda girl was caused by a shell from Marysville's fireworks show, a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection official said Tuesday.
The victim, Jessica Velez, underwent surgery immediately after the July 4 incident to save her life and was scheduled for a second surgery to clean the wound, her mother, Traci Murdock, said Tuesday.
Velez and another victim, Joanna Avalos of Southern California, were listed in stable condition at Rideout Memorial Hospital on Tuesday. Fourteen people were confirmed as having been injured, Kostas said, and the Police Department is still hearing from people with less-serious injuries.
Marysville police Lt. Mike Kostas said his department has received videos of the incident. He urged spectators with similar evidence to come forward.
Kostas said investigators are comparing fragments of the "mortar" that injured Velez with unexploded mortars from the show, which was cut short after the incident.
Boom Boom Productions of Hayfork, which supplied fireworks for the show, and Bill King, the show's operator, are both licensed by the California State Fire Marshall's Office, Kostas said.
By Dave Nielsen/Appeal-Democrat
Lt. Mike Kostas of the Marysville Police Department, center, is flanked Tuesday by Marysville acting Mayor Paul McNamara, left, and Marysville Fire Chief Joe Hernandez during a press conference on the Marysville City Hall steps.
The 3-inch mortar shells were launched from a distance greater than the minimum recommended safe distance in the state Fire Code, Marysville Fire Chief Joe Hernandez said.
The code calls for 75 feet of distance for each inch of a shell's diameter. The fireworks were launched from Gazebo Island on Ellis Lake.
The closest launch point was about 300 feet away from the explosion, said police Detective Mark Cummings.
The American Pyrotechnics Association last month issued safety tips for spectators at public fireworks displays, urging them to "resist any temptation to get too close to the actual firing site" and suggesting "the best view of the fireworks display is from a quarter of a mile or more away."
Boom Boom Productions show designer Fred May said there was no malfunction that would have caused a mortar shell to travel sideways into the crowd at 12th and B streets, where Velez was sitting.
"They don't go sideways. All the launchers were pointed up," May said. "They don't go 90 degrees off and 400 feet the other way. It just doesn't happen."
In a prepared statement, the company said, "Before, during and after our display, other illegal aerial fireworks were observed, many of them shooting hundreds of feet into the air, and we believe that it will be found that one of these was the cause of the accident."
The company uses shells manufactured by a company called Wizard, May said.
After the incident, an unexploded 21/2-inch shell of a type not used by Boom Boom, was found near the scene of the explosion, May said.
"Regardless of the cause of the accident, we are extending our sympathies to all of those injured, and we hope the persons responsible will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," May said.
Kostas and Hernandez said they could not comment on the investigation.
Marysville acting Mayor Paul McNamara said city officials are offering prayers for the victims and their families.
Although the fireworks show was "a city event on city property," the city had no connection with Boom Boom Productions The company had a contract with the event's sponsors, Pepsi-Cola and the Appeal-Democrat, McNamara said.
One victim, Matt Allison of Yuba City, a friend of Velez's family, said he was seated in a chair next to Velez when the mortar shell struck him in the chest before hitting the ground and exploding.
"Jessica's leg is gone, and mine is still here, and I don't know why," said Allison, who showed articles of clothing he said were stained with her blood. He said his injuries included fractured ribs.
After recovering from the shock of the explosion, Allison said, he got up and helped beat out flames on the back of his 11-year-old cousin, David Lappen, a Medford, Ore., resident visiting the area.
David was taken to Rideout, Allison said, where he was treated for burns and had bits of paper and plastic removed from his skin.
Murdock said her daughter was exhausted and experiencing pain Tuesday but remained in good spirits.
"She feels like the other leg is burning. She said it feels like the explosion all over again," Murdock said.
Velez remained conscious immediately after the accident and asked God to be near, Murdock said; the teen kept her eyes closed but said, "I'm awake, I'm just resting."
In the hospital, Velez said she was glad the accident happened if it will help prevent the same thing from happening to someone else, according to her mother.
The teen also said she was happy it happened to her and not to someone else. She thanks God she is still alive, Murdock said.
Murdock, who was near her daughter at the time of the accident, said she saw "a big light" coming toward her, followed by a "kaboom."
"It felt like it was next to my left ear. It was so loud I fell. I thought it took my face off. I couldn't see," Murdock said.
Charlie Kingman, a spectator from Browns Valley, said he and his wife were seated nearby.
"From our vantage point, we could see the Gazebo Island launches clearly. Contrary to what has been reported, there were 'short fires' from the island prior to the one my wife saw go into the crowd," Kingman said.
"The first 'short fire' was a blue, red, and gold (mortar) that barely cleared the trees in height. This was followed by another multicolor that went off so low I could see the person who lit it silhouetted on the island. I thought to myself that they were having problems and that the display was somewhat amateurish with pauses in between launches and displays from the boat island out of time with the other launch areas," he said.