LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) – An IED is to blame for an explosion at an estate sale on Friday in Lexington which left three people hurt.
Joey Hacker was one of the victims who suffered serious injuries; he talked with LEX 18 about the terrifying ordeal.
Hacker says he’s been to the house before on Nakomi Drive for other sales, so he came back.
A thick Camel cigarette lighter was sitting on a table and it caught his eye, so he picked it up.
“Whenever I picked that lighter up, and struck it to see if it worked. As soon as I did that, there was a hesitation to it, and then it lit up and started acting funny,” said Hacker.
Within five seconds of striking the lighter, he says it blew up like a big bomb, knocking him over to the ground.
“I said if I don’t get to the hospital in the next 10-15 minutes, I’m going to die,” said Hacker.
Hacker served in the army from 2004 to 2007, and believes his military training saved his life.
The IED blew off several of his fingers, and shrapnel hit his face and chest area.
“I grabbed my belt off my shorts and applied the tourniquet to my arms so if not, I would have bled out,” said Hacker.
“I don’t think anybody in their right senses would have that sense of situational awareness. It probably would have killed someone else. I think that’s what helped me save my own life,” said Hacker.
Neighbors tell us the homeowner died recently.
Police found several other illegal explosive substances inside of the house.
Hacker is just extremely grateful he survived this tragic accident.
“A better power was watching over me yesterday,” said Hacker.
