Nearly one year ago, a July 4 fireworks incident left Jason Pierre-Paul with a severely mangled right hand. Now the Giants defensive end is doing his part to make sure nobody else suffers the same fate.
Pierre-Paul appeared in a “Fireworks Hurt” public service announcement which debuted Thursday morning, telling the story of how fireworks changed his life forever and offering safety tips.
“I lit off a firework, thought I could throw it away real quick,” Pierre-Paul said in the PSA, which was produced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “In a split second, it blew off my whole hand.”
Pierre-Paul’s right index finger was amputated, and he lost the ends of his thumb and middle finger. The mangled hand is shown in detail in the PSA, as well as a photo of Pierre-Paul in a hospital bed with a bloody wrap around his right hand.
“On the way to the hospital, all I could do was think about my son and if I was going to make it,” said Pierre-Paul, who told reporters earlier this month at OTAs that he will be out of the country this July 4.
Pierre-Paul, who was expected to receive a multi-year contract before the incident, re-signed with the Giants on a one-year prove-it deal in March.
“Now I’m just truly blessed to be alive,” Pierre-Paul said. “Now when I look at fireworks, I think about the safety.”
At the end of the PSA, Pierre-Paul offers two pieces of advice: “Keep fireworks away from kids,” and to leave fireworks “to the fireworks professionals.”
..... - Newsday