Man Burned After Firing Rocket Inside Car
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Shannon Kramer's plans to fire a rocket toward his girlfriend went awry when the firework ricocheted inside his car and dived between his legs, bursting in a display that burned hair and skin from his feet to his groin, police said.
Kramer, 35, told The Florida Times-Union he lit a fuse on the 6-inch-rocket, but wasn't able to get it out the window of his Ford Mustang before it went off.
Seconds later, after the rocket blasted around inside the car, Kramer was burned and temporarily blinded.
"I thought I was dead," he said. "I couldn't see, I couldn't hear. I went to stand up and I couldn't walk."
Kramer said he suffered second-degree burns and a cut on one leg. His eyelashes and a lot of body hair are gone and an outline of his sandals is burned onto his feet.
Jacksonville police were called to the explosion about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and were told a man who had been threatening his girlfriend with a bomb had a mishap.
Kramer said he was only playing a prank and was intending to fire the rocket out the window as he passed.
Police referred the case to the State Attorney's Office, but prosecutors declined to charge Kramer, police spokesman Ken Jefferson said.
Kramer said the rocket, which resembled a bottle rocket, was the diameter of a golf ball.
"I had a couple but this was the biggest," he said. "No more of those."
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Shannon Kramer's plans to fire a rocket toward his girlfriend went awry when the firework ricocheted inside his car and dived between his legs, bursting in a display that burned hair and skin from his feet to his groin, police said.
Kramer, 35, told The Florida Times-Union he lit a fuse on the 6-inch-rocket, but wasn't able to get it out the window of his Ford Mustang before it went off.
Seconds later, after the rocket blasted around inside the car, Kramer was burned and temporarily blinded.
"I thought I was dead," he said. "I couldn't see, I couldn't hear. I went to stand up and I couldn't walk."
Kramer said he suffered second-degree burns and a cut on one leg. His eyelashes and a lot of body hair are gone and an outline of his sandals is burned onto his feet.
Jacksonville police were called to the explosion about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and were told a man who had been threatening his girlfriend with a bomb had a mishap.
Kramer said he was only playing a prank and was intending to fire the rocket out the window as he passed.
Police referred the case to the State Attorney's Office, but prosecutors declined to charge Kramer, police spokesman Ken Jefferson said.
Kramer said the rocket, which resembled a bottle rocket, was the diameter of a golf ball.
"I had a couple but this was the biggest," he said. "No more of those."
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