A second teen remained under care after the Richmond explosion, relatives said.
KANSAS CITY, MO — A 17-year-old Richmond, Missouri, boy was released from Children’s Mercy after a powerful blast that he said came from a firework cost him both hands and badly injured a friend.
The explosion has drawn attention because relatives said the device was not a normal consumer firework. Family members described it as a round object about the size of a baseball, with a short wick and powder inside. The boys’ recovery fund said the blast happened April 17 in Richmond, northeast of Kansas City, while a group of teens was lighting fireworks.
Carter Grabowski and his friend Preston were with other young people on a Friday night when someone brought out another device after several regular fireworks had been lit, according to a fundraiser organized by Carter’s aunt, Bree Ladd. The teens were told it was safe, Ladd wrote. “It wasn’t,” she said in the account. Carter later told a Kansas City television station that the blast left him unable to see or hear for a moment. “All I saw was white, and I couldn’t hear,” he said. He also said it felt as if he had “died for a second.”
Ladd said Carter lost both hands and suffered ruptured eardrums and shrapnel wounds across his body. Preston was also critically hurt, she said. His injuries included ruptured eardrums, wounds to his eyes, face, arms and stomach, severe trauma to his hands and the loss of a thumb. Ladd said doctors still could not fully judge the damage to Preston’s eyes soon after the explosion because they were filled with blood and debris. At the time the fundraiser was posted, Preston had a breathing tube and was struggling to communicate because of his injuries and pain. A surgeon told the family the wounds were the kind seen in war zones, according to Ladd’s account.
The boys were taken to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, where Carter underwent treatment before being released. A report from Nexstar’s WDAF said Carter’s first stop after leaving the hospital was Preston’s room, where he surprised his friend. Carter said he knew both boys faced a long recovery. The fundraiser said money raised for the teens would be split equally to help with surgeries, prosthetics and care. It listed Carter’s mother as Jamie Grabowski and Preston’s mother as Cindy Teegarden. The organizer said both boys had asked that donations be divided 50-50 between them.
The device that exploded had not been publicly identified by authorities in the reports reviewed. Relatives said they were told it was more like a homemade pipe bomb filled with metal shrapnel than a firework. No public charging decision was immediately clear. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says illegal explosive devices are often mistaken for fireworks and can cause severe injuries, disfigurement or death. The agency says federal explosives law bars people from making, storing, distributing, receiving or transporting explosive materials without a federal license or permit.
The case comes months before the peak period for fireworks injuries in the United States. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said 11 fireworks-related deaths were reported in 2024 and about 14,700 people were injured. The agency said many deaths involved misuse, device misfires or malfunctions. Hands and fingers are among the body parts most often injured in fireworks incidents. The agency also reported an estimated 1,700 emergency room-treated injuries in 2024 involving sparklers, which are often viewed as less dangerous than larger devices.
Richmond is a Ray County city about 40 miles northeast of Kansas City. The blast stunned families and neighbors, according to relatives, who said some people nearby ran outside because they thought a house had exploded. The fundraiser described the night as one that began with a common seasonal activity and turned into a medical crisis. Ladd wrote that the boys were alive, but that their lives would not be the same. She said Carter faced multiple surgeries and a long physical and emotional recovery.
As of Wednesday, Carter was out of the hospital and Preston’s recovery remained the main unresolved concern described by the family. The next steps include continued medical care, possible surgeries, prosthetics planning and any findings from authorities about the device that caused the explosion.
Author note: Last updated April 29, 2026.