Bird cannon blows off hand of 87-year-old man

An 87-year-old Blooming Grove man severely injured himself with a bird cannon Friday morning. Police say Korean War veteran Paul Lier blew off most of his hand when a bird cannon exploded on 68 Felter

News 12 Staff

Jul 10, 2015, 7:20 PM

Updated 3,456 days ago

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An 87-year-old Blooming Grove man severely injured himself with a bird cannon Friday morning.
Police say Korean War veteran Paul Lier blew off most of his hand when a bird cannon exploded on 68 Felter Hill Road.
The antique device is used to fire a shot that makes a loud boom noise to scare off birds. Lier didn't know it was loaded and had his hand on the barrel when the cannon went off.
Lier was quickly flown to Westchester Medical Center by helicopter. Police say he seriously injured his hand and severed two fingers.
Police say the fingers were recovered and taken with him to the hospital for surgeons to try and reattach.