A mum has issued a warning to take extra care ahead of Bonfire Night after her finger was blown off by a firework.
Sophie Collins, 22, was a teenager when the accident happened. She lit a firework while sat on the sofa and thought she would be able to extinguish it in time.
The force of the explosion blew most of Sophie's right-hand index finder off and left a gaping wound in her palm that bled profusely, exposing tendons and bones.
Sophie said: "I was being a bit cocky thinking I could light it and put it out before it exploded.
"I was just chilling on the couch and flicked the lighter near the charge and it started fizzing so I licked my fingers and touched it to try and put it back out again.
"It obviously didn't so I took it with my right hand and tried to stub it out on the floor and that's when it's gone 'bang'. Within three or four seconds of me lighting the banger at home it went off and blew my finger clean off."
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The then-14-year-old from Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, was rushed to hospital and had surgery on her injured hand but surgeons were unable to reattach the finger due to the catastrophic damage caused by the blast.
Luckily, Sophie is left-handed, but she is still living with the effects of the incident. She is unable to grip properly with her right hand and she admits she still suffers anxiety when she hears loud noises.
Sophie is now a full-time mum and decided to share her story ahead of Bonfire Night to urge people to be careful around fireworks.
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At the time, she bought a box of fireworks for £5 from a 'random lad' in the street. In the immediate aftermath after the blast, Sophie was rushed by ambulance to Ormskirk Hospital in Ormskirk, West Lancashire, before being transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, Merseyside.
There, Sophie underwent gruelling eight-hour surgery to her hand and when she came round she was told the devastating news that she had lost most of her index finger. She was also left with a 'swan neck deformity' in another finger, a bending of the joints caused by the blast, and is unable to move it due to tendon and nerve damage. A year after the incident, Sophie was given a prosthetic finger.
Each prosthetic finger lasts around six months, and when it starts to become 'shiny' it means Sophie either needs a new one or the colour topping up to match her skin tone.
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Sophie, who still undergoes regular check-ups, is now urging people to exercise extreme caution around fireworks.
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy