According to Prevent Blindness America, nearly 13,000 firework victims keep hospitals busy every ear. More than half of those injured are children. Fireworks not only injure users, data from the U.S. Eye Injury Registry shows that bystanders are more often injured by fireworks than operators.
The three types of fireworks that keep hospital emergency rooms busy during this holiday period are bottle rockets, firecrackers, and sparklers. Bottle rockets and firecrackers can fly in any direction prior to exploding and sparklers burn at temperatures hot enough to melt gold.
One of the reasons firework injuries continue to occur is because people just don’t consider how dangerous these devices can be. People often don’t realize – until they are injured – that the risk of blindness or injury outweighs the excitement of taking risks with fireworks. And giving fireworks to young children can mean a trip to the hospital emergency room.
Have a super 4th of July and make sure your Independence Day celebration is a safe one!
