EVERETT — The lives of a young couple injured by an explosive late on July 4 may never be the same.
The woman, 26, and her husband, 27, were headed to watch neighborhood fireworks not far from their home near the intersection of E. Gibson Road and 124th Street SW. A small, gray car passed. Someone tossed out a small explosive, and the blast seriously injured both.
“It’s senseless. You ruined two kids’ lives, and for what? They’ll never be the same again,” the woman’s stepfather said. He asked that his name, and the names of the victims, not be published because they all fear retaliation.
The family hopes that whoever is responsible will be caught.
The injured couple ran when they saw the device tossed and managed to get a few steps away before it blew up, the family said.
A piece of shrapnel about the size of a postage stamp cut through the back of the woman’s foot, slashing an artery.
Another, larger piece pierced the back of her husband’s left calf, shredding arteries and muscles, the injured woman’s mother said.
“He nearly bled out at the scene,” she said.
Medics rushed the couple to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. Doctors still don’t know if the man will regain full use of his leg, the family said.
“He may never walk like he did before. But how severe it will be, we don’t know,” the woman’s stepfather said.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies weren’t able to determine what type of explosive was used.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to step forward, spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. A serious crime was committed.
“Some people might dismiss this as a Fourth of July prank, but this was an assault with an explosive that injured two people — one of them quite seriously,” she said. “We’re hoping someone who knows about this has the courage to come forward and talk to us.”
The family says the assault may have been intended as a prank. It’s unknown if someone targeted the couple on purpose.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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Anyone with information about this assault is asked to call the Snohomish County sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.
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