LAUDERHILL, FLA. (WSVN) - A man lost his arm and had his leg partially amputated following an explosive emergency at a junkyard in Lauderhill.
Lauderhill Police and Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene along Northwest 31st Avenue near 17th Court, at around 10:30 a.m., Monday.
According to authorities, an explosion occurred at the junkyard, severely injuring the victim.
“He was not fully aware of what was going on. He was seriously injured,” said Lauderhill Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Levy.
The man’s friends said he was trying to take the brass cap off of a cylinder tank.
“I was working right next to him, and he took a cylinder tank off his truck and hit it with a hammer, and it blew up,” said witness Marlo Clark.
It remains unclear if the victim was a worker at the junkyard or a visitor.
7SkyForce hovered over the scene where a green and silver tank could be seen on the ground.
The victim was transported to Broward Health Medical Center where he is undergoing surgery.
Had it not been for the quick work of paramedics, Levy said, the victim might have died.
“On our arrival, one of the Lauderhill shift supervisors arrived and was able to apply two tourniquets to the individual that was injured,” he said. “He had severe injuries, complete amputation of his arm and partial amputation of his leg. The quick life-saving measures of that EMS supervisor was able to probably stop the bleeding.”
No one else was hurt. Clark said that’s remarkable, considering how close other people were.
“I was literally right there with him, right there,” he said. “Man, it was like a desert storm out there when it blew. It was very cloudy. Once the dust settled, that’s when I was able to see that he had lost his arm and leg.”
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