Marysville teen who lost foot in fireworks accident shares story

Marysville teen injured by firework shares his story

With the Fourth of July only two days away, a high school wrestler who lost his foot in a firework accident last year, has a warning about safety.

MARYSVILLE, Wash. - With the Fourth of July only two days away, a high school wrestler who lost his foot in a firework accident last year, has a warning about safety.

Xavian Harris was seriously injured after a firework blew up at the base of his feet in 2023.

The accident happened a short distance from his house after the firework didn't launch correctly, and he tried to put it out.

"The only thing I remember was like a flash and a really, really big boom," he said.

Harris is once again shooting hoops with his brother Spencer and the rest of his siblings.

It's a victory after the 17-year-old spent months learning how to walk again after a horrific fireworks accident last July.

"No color or anything, it was just a flash," he said, remembering that day.

Xavian says he'd found an abandoned tube with a mortar in it, taking it to the trail head near his house to light it.

"I missed the tube, and so I picked it up, and I threw it," he said.

Xavian said the lit fuse started a grass fire, and he started to feel panic.

"I thought if I get caught with it going off, I’m going to get in trouble, so I was stomping on it to put it out," said Xavian.

His younger brother and sister tried to help him stomp out the grass fire. He pushed them away to safety just before the firework went off. A blinding explosion blew him several feet into the air, leaving a gaping hole in the ground.

"I kind of flew into the ditch that was there. My ears were ringing for quite a long time because I was right on top of the firework."

This was what was left of Xavian's shoe, which had been blown off his badly damaged foot. It was found in a nearby tree following the explosion.

"I tried to stay as calm as I possibly could, and I was like, ‘If you guys don’t get help, I probably won’t make it’," said Xavian.

Spencer and his sister flagged down motorists to help, including a nurse who went to the family's church.

"Someone helped to tie a belt around his leg while me and my sister ran down the hill," said Spencer.

"My heel was still intact, but my toes blew up," said Xavian.

After Spencer ran to the family's home and told their father what had happened, both mom and dad jumped in the car and sped to his location, staying with him until paramedics arrived.

Xavian said his mom held him in her arms until paramedics arrived, calling it ‘the worst day of her life.’

Once at the hospital, Xavian was given a tough choice.

"They asked me, they said, ‘Life or limb?’ I said ‘life’," he said. "They put me to sleep. I woke up. I didn’t have a foot."

After three different surgeries, he spent the first 3.5 months of his junior year healing and learning to walk on his prosthetic. He spent a lot of time in physical therapy. He can be seen in the image below, trying to make others laugh during a lighthearted moment in what has been a challenging process.