Fireworks, especially on Independence Day, are a blast, but if you don’t explode them properly, you can end up losing fingers, an eye — or worse, your life.
Last week, 11-year-old River Rouge twins lit a firework inside their home.
It went off, leaving them with serious injuries, which, according to WDIV-TV (Channel 4) , blew off four fingers on one of the girl’s hands, and cut and burned the other. In the report, River Rouge Deputy Police Chief Dasumo Mitchell said the firework explosion was like a stick of dynamite going off.
The twins, who news reports said were unsupervised, set off the firework because, according to police, they thought it would sparkle. But it turned out that the firework was more powerful than that and likely illegal. Quick-acting neighbors helped get the girls medical treatment.
"Every year, thousands of people are injured badly enough to require medical treatment after fireworks-related incidents, with many of the injuries to children and young adults," the National Safety Council warned, adding firecrackers and sparklers can "cause significant injuries."
The safety council, an Itasca, Illinois-based nonprofit group, urges folks among other things, to only use pyrotechnics with adult supervision, never with drugs or alcohol, never indoors or near people, pets or flammable materials, never indoors, and to always wear protective eyewear.
Metro Detroit TV weatherman Dave Rexroth lost an eye to a firework accident in 2014 visiting relatives in Iowa. He said he went back to check on a firework that didn’t appear to light, and it suddenly "went off in my face."
The blast, he said, knocked him to the ground.
He now has a prosthetic eye.
From 2008 and 2023, injuries from fireworks have increased, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission . Last year, an estimated 9,700 people were treated nationwide in emergency rooms as a result of firework accidents, and eight people died.
In Michigan, you are prohibited from lighting fireworks on public property including sidewalks, streets, at schools and churches. Violators can be fined up to $500.
More: Michigan fireworks laws 2024: What to know before Fourth of July
And there is a risk, safety experts warn, that in addition to injuries, the explosives also could start a fire.
You are permitted, however, to set off certain fireworks and pyrotechnics, like sparklers and smoke bombs, from 11 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. June 29 through July 4 on private property.
Still, the safety council added, if instead of setting off your own explosions, you might be better off avoiding injuries other dangers if you "grab a blanket and a patch of lawn, kick back and let the experts handle the fireworks show."
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: River Rouge twins' firework mishap highlights safety risks; experts urge caution
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