OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi USA — Thomas Deshazo got more than he bargained for when he bought an Estes Super Shot Rocket Race Set to show off to his 4-year-old son.

Deshazo ended up at a hospital with injuries to his face and second- and third-degree burns to one of his arms after the rockets detonated before they were supposed to on Sunday, he said.

Deshazo was in the backyard of his home on Doe Street about 10:30 a.m. Sunday when he decided to set up the rocket show that he says was supposed to detonate only after he inserted a safety key into the control device set up some 60 feet away from the rocket launch pad.

But that didn't happen.

Deshazo said he was standing off the launch pad and hooking up the last of the wires to the two rockets in the set when it detonated, with one of the two rockets hitting him in the face before it soared out of sight.

"My pregnant wife and my 4-year-old were watching," he said. "I didn't realize how bad I'd been hurt until I got in the truck (on the way to the hospital)."

Deshazo got medical treatment at Ocean Springs Hospital after the explosion.

Hospital spokesman Richard Lucas confirmed that Deshazo was treated and released the same day.

"Now, I look like I got into some bar brawl or something," said Deshazo, a self-employed painter and construction worker. "I have a puncture wound in my lip and I've got burns on my arm. I don't know what happened."

Deshazo said he's glad he was the one who got hurt. His wife and child were not harmed.

As for Deshazo, his days of racing rockets are behind him.

"I'm done with it," he said Tuesday.

Copyright © 2007, Sun Herald.

09-19-2007 05:59 PM  #1
Planet News Newsbot   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1	Rocket blasts off, into his face Quote: Toy leaves dad with injuries OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi USA — Thomas Deshazo got more than he bargained for when he bought an Estes Super Shot Rocket Race Set to show off to his 4-year-old son. Read the full article.

09-19-2007 06:42 PM  #2
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 2587	Quote: What I don't understand is how he got such harsh injuries without realizing it. I'm having trouble believing this happened the way it was reported. I'm also curious what engines were loaded. Is the SuperShot a "race" set? I am not familiar with the newer starter sets to know if they have drag race sets out. But from the tone of the article, that the injured party was going to "show off" for his son, I wonder if he might have amped things up a little, maybe modifying the launch control or didn't comply with or fully follow the instructions. Maybe he wired things up wrong. Common sense would tell you not to put your face over a rocket on a launcher when hooking up the igniter leads.

09-19-2007 06:48 PM  #3
Steve_Shannon When in doubt, ask Keenan   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1822	Neither is the word explosion and it appeared in the article also. Unfortunately, it sounds like this guy violated a basic safety rule by placing his head directly above a rocket while attaching the launch clips. If it happened the way he says, a direct short would have had to exist that bypassed two different circuit components - the safety key and the launch button. It has been awhile since I examined an "Electron Beam" controller, and I don't remember if the light goes across both or only across the the launch button (in other words, does the continuity lamp come on when the key is out or must you have the key in place?) If the lamp goes across both, then a shorted base or loose bit of metal near the lamp socket could have caused this. I'm not sure how the rocket hits you in the mouth without the launch rod being in your eye or nose. Maybe the fin hit him. I guess I could see that happening. It sounds like he is done with rocketry forever, and that is too bad for his kids' sake. This is why we always touch the leads together before connecting to the iginter.

09-19-2007 07:45 PM  #4
Cas2047 Certified Level Two   Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 68	I hate to sound so negative but... I've got problems with the story, from the guy who this happened to, natural selection comes to mind when I think of him, to the author who clearly didn't get the story straight. How could the rocket detonate and then soar out of sight... This could very well be someone trying to make it big by lawsuit.

09-19-2007 08:22 PM  #5
heada Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 597	Since when has any Estes controller come with 60 foot leads? The E controller only has 30 foot leads. All the Estes/Quest/Aerotech controllers I've used require you to have both the safety key inserted as well as hold down the launch button. I don't know how something could short across both those circuit interrupts. As someone who has had a G motor ignite at arm's length, you know within that first second what happened. Not knowing until he was in the truck seems far fetched as well. Between bad choice of words and questionable details, this is one of the worst reports I've read. -Aaron

09-19-2007 08:57 PM  #6
UhClem Certified Level Three   Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 109	I was curious about the representation that this occurred in his backyard. I looked up that street and examined satellite photos and not one house on that short street has anything resembling a yard large enough to launch a rocket in. There is this nasty looking swampy place labeled as a bayou just to the north but I bet that wouldn't work too well either. I also looked up the "Super Shot Rocket Race Set" on the Estes web site. It says that four "D" size batteries are required so I doubt if these are located in the two hand controllers which do not look like the usual Electron Beam controller. Hard to tell without seeing the real thing though. If the batteries are located in the launcher base, then the chances of a failure providing power to the clips increases. http://www.estesrockets.com/products.php?number=1888 The launch control system appears to be unique to this product.

09-19-2007 10:13 PM  #7
Bayourat Level 3   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 25	Now I see how this happen! Man gives four year old launch controller to hold while he hooks up rockets. Four year old pushes button and plays with key in hole while man hooks up rocket. Man hooks up last igniter lead with his face directly over the launch pad. At that precise time four year old son gets the exact key in hole, button pressing synchronized and we have LIFT OFF! Man embarrassed by his own stupidity exclaims to panicked wife, "IT JUST WENT OFF!" "IT MUST BE DEFECTIVE"

09-19-2007 11:29 PM  #8
UncleVanya   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 1928	Quote: I was curious about the representation that this occurred in his backyard. I looked up that street and examined satellite photos and not one house on that short street has anything resembling a yard large enough to launch a rocket in. There is this nasty looking swampy place labeled as a bayou just to the north but I bet that wouldn't work too well either. These are small rockets using 13mm motors - maybe a backyard flight is plausible - particularly if you don't know much about rockets. Remember he didn't say he ever got a good flight out of them... Quote: I also looked up the "Super Shot Rocket Race Set" on the Estes web site. It says that four "D" size batteries are required so I doubt if these are located in the two hand controllers which do not look like the usual Electron Beam controller. Hard to tell without seeing the real thing though. If the batteries are located in the launcher base, then the chances of a failure providing power to the clips increases. http://www.estesrockets.com/products.php?number=1888 The launch control system appears to be unique to this product. I agree. And I also noticed that there appear to be TWO controllers. The only way I see this as happening accidentally would be if the pad had a defect in it that allowed the controllers to be bypassed (short for example) and then if the clip leads for the two rockets were in series rather than parallel - then and only then could I see the two rockets firing at the same time and without human intervention. I also question how a pair of 13mm rockets could do as much damage to the man without him doing something dumb like putting his face over the launch rod during hookup. Even that seems weird - I usually look at what I'm doing so my hands can function using my eyes as input - but maybe he's different. Seems hard to imagine how you can set your face over the top and still see under the rocket to hook up the engine... Maybe these 13mm motors are hard to light like blackjack... ... allowing time to hook up and then place one's face directly in the path during the chuffing up to pressure... ok maybe not.

09-20-2007 10:21 AM  #9
tbrogan Certified Level Two   Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 86	There seems to be an reference to a "barroom brawl" that may contain more truth to it that getting beat up by this rocket set. The launch rods on this kit are about 6" or 7" long and the little plastic rockets are listed as 5.25" in length, how do you get your "ARM" under this and your face in the way at the same time? Sounds like they had a fairly good flight though, they went up and out of sight! How would something like these little plastic rockets hit him and "puncture" his lip then continue to fly straight out of sight, without getting stuck up his nose?!?!? And no burns on his face or chin from the explosion or detonation? I would really hope that Estes would fight this one in court instead of just paying the upcoming lawsuit, and you know its coming! He probably needs to be painting in a better ventilated space them fumes will get to you after a while! Me thinks this guy is so full of crap his eyes are brown!

09-20-2007 11:23 PM  #10
urbadave New Member   Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 4	It just can't happen that way. I had an A3-4T light when I hooked up the ignitors. There was an un-detected short in the launch controller. When I attached the second clip, the motor ignited immediately. My hand was directly under the motor. No burns at all! I felt a momentary heat from the quickly departing rocket. Quite frankly, I can't imagine what you would have to do with a 13mm motor to actually get a third degree burn. I think this is one for Mythbusters to debunk. urbanek

09-21-2007 12:34 AM  #11
heada Certifiable   Joined: Apr 2007 Posts: 597	I had a G motor ignite at arms length (a G54, and at arms length means I was holding the rocket when it ignited.) While I have some grusome pictures to show for it, even a mildly powerfull 29mm G motor only did bad 2nd degree bruns (looked MUCH worse than it was, morphine is your friend!) If he has 3rd degree burns, he must have been holding the rocket in one hand and held it over the other hand and arm for the entire burn of the motor. There is no other way for it to give 3rd degree burns. -Aaron

09-21-2007 12:56 AM  #12
ddmobley Administrator   Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 2587	Quote: If he has 3rd degree burns, he must have been holding the rocket in one hand and held it over the other hand and arm for the entire burn of the motor. There is no other way for it to give 3rd degree burns. He must of had one helluva time getting the "fuse" to light with his cigarette lighter.

09-21-2007 11:25 AM  #13
Steve_Shannon When in doubt, ask Keenan   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1822	Right after he said "Hey honey, watch this!"

09-21-2007 06:54 PM  #14
QuickBurst Certified Level Three TRA   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 46	Quote: Man gives four year old launch controller to hold while he hooks up rockets. Four year old pushes button and plays with key in hole while man hooks up rocket. Man hooks up last igniter lead with his face directly over the launch pad. At that precise time four year old son gets the exact key in hole, button pressing synchronized and we have LIFT OFF! Man embarrassed by his own stupidity exclaims to panicked wife, "IT JUST WENT OFF!" "IT MUST BE DEFECTIVE" Pretty much sums it up for me. Couldn't have said it better myself.

09-21-2007 06:59 PM  #15
Steve_Shannon When in doubt, ask Keenan   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1822	Quote: Quite frankly, I can't imagine what you would have to do with a 13mm motor to actually get a third degree burn. urbanek At least not that we could discuss on a family forum.