Woman Injured In Port-A-Potty Explosion

A Washington woman was injured in port-a-potty explosion on Saturday afternoon. Karikaye Finch and her family were visiting an Oregon park for her daughter’s softball tournament. Although she was not looking forward to using the port-a-potty, she certainly did not expect it to explode.

While Finch was sitting on the toilet, she felt and heard an explosion. She said “it felt like somebody was punching the back of [her] head.” Although the pain “was horrible,” she was unsure what happened or the extent of her injuries.

By the time she made her way out of the port-a-potty, Finch was covered in blood. The paramedics were called and she was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene to investigate the explosion. They eventually located an object that appears to be homemade bomb.

As reported by KATU News, investigators later confirmed the device consisted of a plastic water bottle, which was filled with “a mixture of chemicals.”

The Portland Police Bureau bomb squad closed the park and searched for additional devices. Although no bombs were located in or around the park, investigators confirmed two similar incidents happened in the region the same afternoon.

In addition to the port-a-potty explosion, two residents reported that their mailboxes exploded on the same afternoon. Authorities have not revealed whether the explosive devices used in the three incidents were similar. As reported by KGW News, nobody was hurt when the mailboxes exploded.

Finch eventually had to get two staples in her head to stop the bleeding. However, she is recovering from the incident. In retrospect, she said she remembers seeing a teen boy leaving the port-a-potty as she went in. Finch said the boy looked suspicious, but she did not think much of it at the time:

“He had that look… A mother’s intuition. You look for a kid prank, maybe something bad on the ground. You’re not thinking I’m going to get hit on the back of the head with some sort of explosion.”

Thankfully, Finch was not fatally wounded in the port-a-potty explosion. However, she is concerned that a child could have been inside when the bomb went off.

All three incidents are currently under investigation and authorities have not identified a suspect. Although Finch was injured and frightened, she is thankful that nobody else was harmed in the port-a-potty explosion.

[Image via Ironvan]