Fireworks injury severely injures 18-year-old from Kokomo

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - Kendall Keeling was lighting off a firework on July 3, like he had done countless times before. Only this time, it would have life altering consequences.

Kendall, 18, had an accident that resulted in him losing least a part of each of his fingers on his right hand, and essentially his entire ring finger. In just a couple weeks, he was set to ship off to training for the Army.

He said the bottom of the firework had fallen off, exposing two wicks - one to light the fuse, and the other to trigger the explosion. He was holding the firework in his hand, and intended to throw it once it was lit. He accidentally lit the wrong wick.

"So, I went to light it, and as soon as I touch the fuse, it blew up," said Kendall.

He also had injuries on his stomach, chest and face.

His plan that day was to go fishing with his girlfriend, Kelsey Webber, and another friend. Keeling said in the moment after the explosion, he blacked out, only to come to a split second later to his girlfriend and friend in shock. He knew then that he had severely damaged his hand.

"There was no feeling to describe it, really."

They called 911, and the ambulance took him to St. Vincent Kokomo, where his hand was wrapped up, before he was sent to St. Vincent in Indianapolis.

In his first operation, surgeons sewed up Kendall's hand.

"They weren't sure what they were going to be able to salvage," said Kendall. "They weren't sure what fingers I had, or which ones I was going to be able to keep."

The dressing on his hand has been changed a couple times, but Kendall was put under each time because the pain was so extreme. The severity of the damage is hard to measure at this point, but Kendall said if the nerve endings aren't damaged too badly, he could get a prosthesis that would allow him to move.

"If I can do that, that'd be great, if not, so be it. I'll just have to learn to live with what I have, and that'll be fine," Kendall said. "It's just a learning curve, something I'll have to overcome."

Kendall comes from a military family - his father, uncle, grandfather and many of his friends have served, and he said he was excited for the opportunity to do the same.

"I've wanted to do it since I was a little kid," Kendall said. After the accident, however, he doubts that will happen.

"I won't be able to hold a gun; I won't be able to go through basic training," said Kendall. "As of now, I don't think I'm going to be able to go, but there could always be a miracle."

Kendall's father, stepmother and mother were all out of town when the accident happened. Heath Keeling, Kendall's father, was in Kentucky on a motorcycle trip with friends when word reached him about the accident.

Heath said he drove to Indianapolis through stormy weather, stopping only once along the way to fuel up.

"I felt absolutely helpless," Heath said. "I'm a contractor by trade, so everything I do, every dollar I earn, is with my hands - to think about that being taken away, and how that could impact him."

Kendall is dominantly right-handed, and this accident will affect his hobbies including playing guitars, shooting guns and riding motorcycles.

Lou Ann Keeling, Kendall's stepmother, was in Cincinnati with some friends when she got a phone call about the accident. She had a friend take her to the hospital from there.

"To see your child lay in the bed and cry in pain is the worst thing ever," Lou Ann said.

In the hospital, the Keelings experienced an outpouring of support.

"I've got a lot of love and prayers from tons of people, and that's the best feeling - knowing that everybody's looking out for me," Kendall said.

Lou Ann said so many friends came to visit Kendall in the hospital that the nurses called him the king of Kokomo. His girlfriend was there throughout the ordeal.

Hundreds of people sent encouraging messages on Facebook.

Kendall went home on July 12, but will return to Indianapolis on July 18. At that time, he expects to see his hand for the first time since the accident.

"I'm staying positive. I mean, there's no reason to be negative about it. It happened," Kendall said. "It's going to suck. It's going to be a hard road. It's going to be a long recovery, but I'll get through it."

Heath said Kendall's optimism has greatly helped the rest of the family to get through the situation.

Heath said Kendall worded it best when he said, "You either have to accept the challenge and rise above it, or just go down with it."

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Source: Kokomo Tribune, http://bit.ly/29EkQPx

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Information from: Kokomo Tribune, http://www.ktonline.com