Police chief loses part of arm in fireworks accident


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pennsylvania police chief has lost part of his arm following a fireworks accident at the town's fireman's carnival.

Karen Diebold says her son, Leechburg Police Chief Michael Diebold, is in stable condition and in good spirits nonetheless because of the outpouring of community support.

Police say the 39-year-old chief was lighting a mortar when one went off and exploded into him. The chief reportedly runs a local fireworks business and was licensed to handle them.

The chief was being treated at UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh.

A prayer vigil for the chief was held Sunday night at the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company.

State police are continuing to investigate the accident.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

U.S.
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast