Australian prankster seriously hurt after lighting firecracker wedged in his buttocks
Fireworks light up the skyline over Sydney Harbour during the 9pm family fireworks session on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2011 in Australia.
An Australian man reportedly suffered serious injuries to his backside, back and genitals after lighting a firecracker wedged in his buttocks.
According to the NT News, the man was at a party in Rapid Creek, Darwin when he attempted the stunt.
Under the headline "Bummer of an idea," the paper reported that the man was sent to a burns unit in Adelaide.
"It probably seemed like a good idea at the time." said Sr Sgt Garry Smith, of the Northern Territory Police, though many would disagree.
Sadly, it's not the first time someone has attempted such a stunt.
The BBC reported in 2009 on a man who suffered internal burns when he tried to launch a rocket from his rear end.
When paramedics arrived, the 22-year-old, who was attending a celebration to mark "Bonfire Night," reportedly had a so-called Black Cat Thunderbolt Rocket lodged inside his body.
He had suffered a scorched colon, which according to a local ambulance service meant he got off lightly.
Douglas McDougal, from Sunderland's North East Ambulance Service, said: "We received a call stating there was a male who had a firework in his bottom and it was bleeding.
"He sustained fairly significant injuries in the fact that there's huge damage to that particular area."
However, McDougal said, the man could easily have been killed.
"There's a lot of major blood vessels round that area, so infection would probably be a huge problem for him," he said.
"And also the body naturally produces methane gas, so combine that with the firework and the exploding effect with methane's flammability — it certainly could have been a lot worse than it really was."
In Australia's Northern Territory, anyone letting off fireworks outside of "Territory Day" face a $282 fine, although Yahoo News reported that the police received complaints "every second day."
Other Australian states impose spot fines that can reach thousands of dollars.
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