FIREWORKS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS BURN INJURIES

Celebrating Independence Day or New Year's Eve often involves fireworks. Unfortunately, sometimes people, especially children, become injured because of poor safety standards or faulty fireworks. Approximately 240 people are injured each year on the Fourth of July badly enough to go to an emergency room. Remember that while fireworks are fun, they can also be dangerous.

It isn't always your fault if someone gets burned. Sometimes, it is the fault of the manufacturer. In those cases, there is really no safety actions that you could take to protect yourself or your children from burn or eye injury.

Promoting firework safety can be helpful if you are using any type of incendiary device for the Fourth. Some of the safety tips are obvious; others cause us to realize how much danger there is when using fireworks.

Don't let your kids play with or light any fireworks. The devices tend to light more quickly than most children can move or they may not realize that they have to "light and run."

If you have purchased fireworks in a brown paper bag, believe it or not, you need to throw them away. They are specially made for professional fireworks displays and can be very dangerous.
One obvious tip is to always have an adult onsite for the lighting of any fireworks. Even sparklers can cause injury because the temperature they burn at can reach 2,000 degrees. This is hot enough to melt metal.

Don't put you hand or finger on the firework when lighting it. You can lose a digit if you do. Simply light it and back up to a safe distance.

Getting injured due to fireworks can be painful and can be serious. If you have been injured by a firework through no fault of your own, you may want to contact an attorney who can help you get a sense of justice. You may have had to miss work to deal with the injury and you may have medical bills that need to be recompensed.

Source: United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Fireworks Information Center," accessed May. 22, 2015