Racine father of 3 seriously injured in backyard fireworks mishap

 

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A backyard fireworks show nearly turned deadly for a Racine father of three. Fast-acting partygoers likely saved the man's life, but something irreplaceable was lost.

"I just remember him laying there yelling, 'I don't want to go blind. Please don't let me go blind,'" said Nicole LaFever, sister of the victim's partner.

Hours after what had been an enjoyable holiday gathering in Mt. Pleasant, Justin Hayes was in a hospital bed, his eyes in a lot of pain. But even more painful - the fear that he may never see again.

"He went down to light the wick, when he came back up, he noticed that the firework wasn't really doing anything. He went back down and it literally just exploded in his face," said LaFever.

The minutes that followed in this backyard were terrifying, especially for his 5-year-old son.

"He just kept screaming, 'daddy, daddy, I love you, I love you,'" said LaFever.

"And I look, and I see Justin laying on the ground with his hands in his face, with blood just pouring out everywhere," said LaFever.

The young father of three, a strong player for the Southern Lakes Blue Devils Football Team, needed immediate help to try to save his eyesight.

"I was in the house and all I heard was the people screaming saying Laurie keep the kids in the house. We need towels, water," said Laurie LaFever.

"It gives me the goosebumps, but he was just yelling my sister's name the entire time," said LaFever.

Nicole LaFever's an ER nurse. She was at the party.

"And I said, 'Justin, you have a split-second to tell me if I need to call 911 or not,' and he said 'yes' and that's when I knew that things were not good," said Nicole LaFever.

The fire department's less than a mile away. Crews got on scene fast, deciding to take the patient directly to Froedtert.

"That just kind of confirmed, on a medical standpoint, that it certainly was really bad," said LaFever.

The accident's left Hayes blind in his right eye. Vision in his left eye's expected to return, with more surgeries to come.

"He's young. He's 25, you know, he's got his whole life to live," said LaFever.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports in 2023, 9,700 people went to the emergency room for fireworks-related injuries. Eight people died. Hayes' family is thankful he didn't add to that number this year.

"Just count your blessings," said LaFever.

This young family's got a GoFundMe page to navigate the recovery ahead. You can find it here. Margaret Marquez is selling enchilada meals on Aug. 3 out of her home for a $12 donation and giving all proceeds to Justin and his family.