Updated | 4:52 p.m. Thursday
The victim of a fireworks-related accident in Haines earlier this week is in “satisfactory” condition.
A spokesperson at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle says Kris Rath’s condition has improved and he is being transferred out of the intensive care unit.
Rath was medevaced out of Haines by the U.S. Coast Guard early Tuesday morning after sustaining significant injuries to his face and legs.
The injuries were the result of an explosion that occurred after witnesses say fireworks were used to create a homemade “sparkler bomb.”
Rath’s personal Facebook page says he works as a river raft and kayak guide in Haines.
Friends have set up an online fundraising page to help pay for medical expenses.
Original post | 3:17 p.m. Thursday
A fireworks-related accident in Haines the night before the Fourth of July left one person with significant injuries.
Local EMS responded to the scene near Jones Point.
According to firefighter Tim Holm, witnesses said fireworks had been used to create a homemade “sparkler bomb.”
The device was apparently lit and then fell over.
The victim sustained facial and leg trauma in the explosion that followed, Holm said. The man suffered the most injury to his jaw.
The U.S. Coast Guard responded and medevaced the victim to a Seattle hospital early Tuesday morning.
Holm says firework-related incidents as severe as this one are not common in Haines.
KHNS was not able to check on the condition of the victim because the fire department did not release his name.
