Virginia Trooper, Firefighters Injured



ALLISON T. WILLIAMS
Courtesy of Suffolk News-Herald


A state trooper and four Suffolk firefighters suffered minor injuries when an explosive device accidentally went off in the North Suffolk Public Safety Building Tuesday night.

Trooper DeShawn Melton, 30, had stopped by the Bridge Road building after leaving the National Night Out festivities in Smithfield to transfer some equipment to a state vehicle kept in north Suffolk, said Sgt. D.S. Carr, spokesman for the Virginia State Police. Melton, a 15-year state police veteran, was moving a flash-bang - a explosive device used by the agency's SWAT team to provide light and sound - into another vehicle when it detonated in his right hand, said Carr.

Melton lost his right index finger and is still in Chesapeake General Hospital, Carr said. The injury won't end Melton's career as a state trooper, he added.

"He will learn to adjust," he said.

Four Suffolk firefighters standing nearby received minor injuries - three reported ringing ears due to loud noise, one was hit by a small piece of flying debris, Carr added.

They were treated and released from local medical facilities.

The city would not release the names of the injured firefighters, citing it would be a violation of the city's medical privacy policy.

If he's right handed his carrer is over. Shooting, driving, typing, writing, handcuffing are all pretty dependant of good finger dexterity.  If he lost the index finger there has go to be nerve damge to the hand & wrist.

Bummer!
Hope all return to duty soon.
DaddyDett

Ouch!

But Senator Schumer said flashbangs are harmless.

Terrible news, i wonder if the FB was faulty, or he inadvertantly pulled the pin.

Quoted: Bummer! Hope all return to duty soon. DaddyDett

+1.

As AR15fan states, you need your fingers for a lot of tasks in real life, let alone police work.  

I wonder though how the grenade could have exploded though.  

Quoted: Virginia Trooper, Firefighters Injured ALLISON T. WILLIAMS Courtesy of Suffolk News-Herald A state trooper and four Suffolk firefighters suffered minor injuries when an explosive device accidentally went off in the North Suffolk Public Safety Building Tuesday night. Trooper DeShawn Melton, 30, had stopped by the Bridge Road building after leaving the National Night Out festivities in Smithfield to transfer some equipment to a state vehicle kept in north Suffolk, said Sgt. D.S. Carr, spokesman for the Virginia State Police. Melton, a 15-year state police veteran, was moving a flash-bang - a explosive device used by the agency's SWAT team to provide light and sound - into another vehicle when it detonated in his right hand, said Carr. Melton lost his right index finger and is still in Chesapeake General Hospital, Carr said. The injury won't end Melton's career as a state trooper, he added. "He will learn to adjust," he said. Four Suffolk firefighters standing nearby received minor injuries - three reported ringing ears due to loud noise, one was hit by a small piece of flying debris, Carr added. They were treated and released from local medical facilities. The city would not release the names of the injured firefighters, citing it would be a violation of the city's medical privacy policy. If he's right handed his carrer is over. Shooting, driving, typing, writing, handcuffing are all pretty dependant of good finger dexterity.  If he lost the index finger there has go to be nerve damge to the hand & wrist.

Another question:Are "flash-bangs" similar to a "regular" hand grenade with a pin?

I thought they would be safer than that.

Since lobbing them at unsuspecting people while they sleep is what they are used for.


GM

I wonder how many days off with workers comp pay the firefighter will take for their "ringing ears"?

My father lost his "trigger finger" due to a medical mishap and was able to continue being a detective.  His shooting actually improved once he got used to the trigger pull.  I've exerimented shooting that way on the range as well and it's not dificult by any means.

I wonder if he can get a job as an ordnance disposal tech?

When we stumbled upon an unexploded 2,000 iron bomb in the woods of APG with our pick axes, they sent out a guy called lucky. Lucky had one glass eye, three real fingers and an artificial leg.

He seemed to enjoy his vocation.

Quoted: Trooper DeShawn Melton, 30, <snip> . Melton, a 15-year state police veteran,

Dang, he started young!

Quoted: I wonder how many days off with workers comp pay the firefighter will take for their "ringing ears"?

Shee-it... I had a compressed air line with 975 Psi let loose. I fininshed my shift, and showed up the following ones.

Of course, I've got pre-existing tinnitus from the punker days, so...

Quoted: I thought they would be safer than that. Since lobbing them at unsuspecting people while they sleep is what they are used for. GM

+1.  You'd think that, after all I've heard about them.  After all, I thought they only made noise and light.  I would have never dreamed they were actually DANGEROUS!!!