* Updated *

LA CONNER — A volunteer working on earning his pyrotechnic license was in satisfactory condition Tuesday following a July 4 fireworks accident.

Bill Smiley, 42, of Lyman was being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The accident occurred about 10 minutes into the annual Independence Day fireworks display on the Swinomish Reservation side of the Swinomish Channel, firefighters said. A 911 call was made at about 10 p.m. Saturday. The event is organized by the La Conner Chamber of Commerce and funded with donations.

Smiley was igniting one of the 4-inch diameter mortars when the mortar’s tube separated from its wooden base, said his wife, Tonia Smiley, who was told about the accident by other volunteers at the show. It’s not known exactly why the problem occurred.

The fireworks explosion destroyed the wooden base and sent the metal mortar flying with propelled wood fragments into Bill Smiley, his wife said. His doctors think that the metal tube smashed into his knee, she said.

A previous report indicating that he was burned was inaccurate. Smiley’s kneecap was destroyed, and the wooden shrapnel cut deep gashes into his legs, torso and an arm, his wife said. He had surgery Sunday and will need subsequent surgeries and physical therapy, she said.

Doctors expect that Smiley will walk again, but the injuries may limit mobility in at least one hand, she said.

“He did have a safety helmet and safety glasses and a leather jacket on, or else it would be a lot worse,” Tonia Smiley said.

* Marta Murvosh can be reached at 360-416-2149 or .