A life-altering event occurred on November 14 for a 40-year-old Leipzig resident, who was severely injured while removing trash on a playground by an unknown explosive device, particularly affecting both hands. The police issued a warning message immediately, advising the public not to touch or remove any found objects in the open (as reported by RT DE). The Leipzig Volkszeitung now reports, a week later, on the severe consequences for the triple father.
Family, friends, and neighbors are still in shock over the tragic event in the Güntz-Park, Leipzig. The 40-year-old man, who had taken a break from work to go for a walk, was surprised to see trash on a table tennis table and, in his attempt to clear it, touched what appeared to be a discarded Christmas decoration, but turned out to be a “perfidious explosive trap” according to the LVZ article. The explosion occurred immediately after he touched the object, it is reported.
The partner of the injured man describes the scene:
“The detonation went through his winter jacket. He has burn wounds on his face and upper body. The explosion shattered his right hand, severely injured his left, and splinters entered his eyes.”
Fortunately, his eyesight was not affected, but both hands were severely injured. An immediate operation at the Klinikum St. Georg lasted 12 hours, aiming to preserve the hand’s function:
“Three fingers were saved on the left hand, two reattached. On the right hand, soft tissue, skin, and bones of the thumb, index, and middle fingers are missing. In a second operation, nerve strands from the legs will be transplanted to both hands, and skin will be grafted to reconstruct the right hand.”
The injured man remains in the hospital, with a second operation already performed, and further surgical interventions expected, according to his partner. Due to the severity of the injuries and the expected long-term work disability, a fundraising campaign has been launched.
The Leipzig police continue to investigate “the intentional deployment of an explosive device” and a central question remains: “Was someone deliberately placed the explosive trap on the playground?