Fourth of July pop-bottle rocket
dodgeball game ends in tragedy
By Jake Stoltz, THG News
A 65 year old Bloomfield woman lost a toe when a pop-bottle rocket fired by her
grandson exploded on her foot Sunday at his family’s annual Fourth of July
picnic.
Jonathan L. Reed, a 15 year old honor student and wrestler at Greene County High
School, and several friends were firing pop-bottle rockets into the air on
Sunday when they decided to play an impromptu game of dodgeball, substituting
the fireworks for the traditional rubber or foam ball.
The game went on for several minutes with only minor burns sustained by the
participants until Reed accidentally aimed too low and fired a pop-bottle
rocket that landed on his grandmother Agnes Clausen’s right foot.
The rocket exploded, mangling Clausen’s middle toe on that foot. Clausen’s
doctor, Sam Jacobs, says the damage is irreversible and that the toe is too
damaged to be reattached but expects her to be able to walk again in a few days.
Clausen also sustained burns on her other toes and the top of her foot.
Despite the tragedy, Clausen was in high spirits. “If that is the worst thing
that ever happens to me, then I am in pretty good shape. Accidents sometimes
happen, especially when you are dealing with dumb-ass teenagers.”
Reed felt terrible about the incident. “I love my granny (Clausen) and feel
horrible about what happened. Next time I mess with fireworks I am going to make
sure there aren’t any old people around.”
Reed’s mother, Karen, grounded her son for the rest of the week for the
incident.
