Victoria Ballard
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
LAUDERHILL, Fla. — A man’s arm and part of his leg were amputated after an explosion at a scrap yard in Lauderhill, authorities said.
The explosion was about 10:30 a.m. Monday at 1701 NW 31st Ave.
The man was unloading a large medical oxygen tank from the back of a truck when the tank exploded, WPLG-Ch. 10 reported. He was flown to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale in serious condition, said Jeffrey Levy, assistant fire chief for Lauderhill Fire Rescue.
“On our arrival, one of the Lauderhill shift supervisors arrived and was able to apply two tourniquets to the individual that was injured,” Levy told WSVN-Ch. 7. “He had severe injuries, complete amputation of his arm and partial amputation of his leg. The quick life-saving measures of that EMS supervisor was able to probably stop the bleeding.”
Marlo Clarke told Ch. 10 that he and his friend were unloading a truck at Resource Scrap Metal when his friend knocked an oxygen tank over and it exploded.
Clarke said his friend kept saying “ ‘I’m about to die.’ That’s all he kept saying. ‘I’m about to die.’ ”
Northwest 17th Court and Northwest 31st Avenue were closed to allow a rescue helicopter to land, but they have since reopened, Levy said.
Calls to a scrap metal recycling facility at the address of the explosion were not answered Monday afternoon.
The explosion is under investigation by the Lauderhill Fire Department, Police Department, the Florida Division of Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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