Hundreds hospitalized annually due to fireworks-related injuries and accidents in NC
Will Parker and Sandra Demetrius were glad to show off what they bought from a fireworks stand in Raleigh. He got poppers and she purchased sparklers, nothing too big to celebrate the Fourth of July.
"I like sparklers," said Demetrius, who is visiting from Virginia and is celebrating her birthday in addition to the holiday. "They’re easy. I don't have to almost die or anything."
Parker said he had a scary situation a few years back. He set off a bottle rocket and things went sideways, literally.
"I didn’t anchor the bottle well so right when the fuse got lit, the bottle got knocked over and shot off horizontally underneath someone’s car," he says. "The whole bottle rocket just burst. I changed things up after that. You live and you learn."
Learning to be more cautious around fireworks could keep hundreds of people out of the ER annually. North Carolina averages 197 emergency room visits a year for accidents and injuries linked to fireworks, DHHS reports. Approximately 70% of injuries happen in July.
Most injuries are among men, according to the most recent state data. About four out of every 10 people who are injured by fireworks are 25- to-49 years old, which outpaces that age group’s share of the population.
The same goes for kids aged 5 to 17. While they account for 16 percent of the state’s population, 21% of visits to the ER for fireworks are among that group.
WakeMed told the WRAL Data Trackers that last year, they saw 12 patients during the Fourth of July weekend. UNC's Jaycee Burn Center has averaged about 16 patients a year over the last five years. They told us most of the burns are on patients' faces and hands.
To avoid injuries or any close calls this year, Parker and Demetrius said they’re leaving the big shows to the professionals to stay safe and enjoy celebrating America’s independence.
