A fateful day for a 40-year-old Leipzig resident occurred on November 14, when he was severely injured while removing trash on a playground, particularly at both hands, by an unknown explosive device. The police immediately issued a warning message, urging the public not to touch or remove “found objects in the open” (RT DE reported). The Leipzig Volkszeitung now reports on the severe consequences for the triple father, about a week later.
Family, friends, and neighbors are still shocked by the tragic event in the Güntz-Park, Leipzig. The 40-year-old man had simply taken a break to go for a walk in his lunch break, when he saw trash lying on a table tennis table. A discarded Christmas decoration, described as a “golden Christmas ball carelessly left lying” turned out to be a “cunning trap” according to the LVZ article. It is reported that the explosion occurred immediately after he touched the ball.
The partner of the injured man reports:
“The detonation went through his winter jacket. He has burns on his face and upper body. The explosion shattered his right hand, severely injured his left, and splinters entered his eyes.”
The vision is not impaired, but both hands are severely affected. An immediate operation at the Klinikum St. Georg lasted around 12 hours to save the function: “Three fingers were saved on the left hand, two reattached. On the right hand, the soft tissue, skin, and bones of the thumb, index, and middle fingers are missing. In a second operation, nerve strands from both legs will be transplanted to both hands to reconstruct the right hand.”
The victim remains in the hospital. A second operation has already taken place, and further surgical interventions are necessary, according to the partner. Due to the severity of the injuries and the expected long-term work disability, a fundraising campaign has been launched.
The Leipzig police are still investigating “for the intentional triggering of an explosive device.” A central question, as reported by the LVZ, is whether someone deliberately placed the explosive device on the playground.