The shocking YouTube video of US Army veteran Adam Knowles firing a rocket launcher, to have it horrifically explode in his hands, has left viewers in disbelief.
The video shows the weapon exploding immediately after firing. Knowles can be seen being engulfed in flames as the rocket launcher explodes, causing his helmet to fly off and knocking him unconscious.
As a result, Knowles suffered severe injuries, including a broken jaw, shrapnel wounds, and third-degree burns, resulting in medical expenses of over $300,000.
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The impact of the blast was so severe that it reportedly also left him with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
In a recent video, Knowles - who can be seen wearing arms casts as part of his recovery - rewatched his near-fatal incident with his friend who was there at the time.
Knowles, visibly shocked by his body's reaction to the explosion, was surprised to find that he 'barely lost any facial hair.'
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Reflecting on the incident, Knowles noted that the incident 'started off normal' and didn't 'instantaneously malfunction', but very quickly turned to flames.
As they both rewatch the clip in slow-motion, his veteran friend described it as 'something out of a war movie,' and commented that if you were to 'watch the video without context, you'd assume that would kill a person.'
Later in the video, Knowles explained that the rocket launcher exploded due to a booster failure, causing the weld to fail and a pressure bump in the tube.
According to Knowles, luckily for him, the weld failed first because it 'acted as a release for pressure.' Otherwise, it would have likely detonated the entire launcher and the impact to his head could have been much worse.
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Knowles' friends immediately rushed to his aid and called 911.
He was airlifted to the hospital for emergency treatment, which involved multiple skin grafts, stitches, and other surgeries.
Comments have outpoured from viewers expressing astonishment at Knowles' lucky survival and the severity of the explosion. Knowles also captioned in his video that it was 'very difficult to make[...] both mentally and technically'.
One comment said: 'The fact that his face is perfectly fine is a miracle…'
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Whilst another viewer wrote: 'The fact he is alive after that, and is able to still smile and joke around a little about it even while seeing it happen is really something. That is one hell of a story to tell for the rest of his life.'
Despite facing a long road to recovery, Knowles has expressed his determination to continue creating videos for his audience once he is back on his feet.
Featured Image Credit: Ballistic High-Speed/ YouTube