11-07-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Homeless San Francisco man blinded in fireworks accident, family launches fundraiser
The family of a San Francisco man who was left permanently blind in one eye after a fireworks accident on the Fourth of July is raising money to help cover medical expenses and secure housing.
Lynn Kyle Scribner, who has been experiencing homelessness, was injured while lighting a firework in the city's Lower Haight neighborhood, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his niece, Valerie Klinker.
'The second I put the flame to it, three of the mortar things shot up directly into my eye — pop, pop, pop,' Scribner told KTVU, which first aired the video. 'I thought my whole face was gone.'
He was rushed to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where doctors performed emergency surgery. Despite their efforts, Scribner said he was told he would not regain vision in his right eye.
He said they had to put his eyeball back together 'piece by piece.'
'My uncle is not just any man — he is the most selfless, generous person I know,' Klinker wrote on the fundraising page. 'Alongside his partner, he has always put others before himself, sharing what little he had, offering a warm smile, and teaching us the true meaning of compassion and resilience. Now, they both need the kindness of others to help them through this most difficult chapter of their lives.'
The fundraiser aims to cover Scribner's medical care, vision rehabilitation, housing, and basic needs for him and his partner, Mark Jackson.
The couple had recently been approved for housing through San Francisco's DAHLIA affordable housing program, but the injury has delayed their move. They are currently staying in motels and shelters.
