Pursuing Damages for Firework-Related Injuries in Ohio

 Posted on July 07, 2022 in Personal Injury

One of the staples of the Fourth of July weekend is the traditional fireworks celebrations. Many Americans attend community events, but there are also millions of families across the country that put on their own firework displays. Unfortunately, while firework shows can be exhilarating to both old and young alike, they can also be dangerous. National data shows that the number of injuries and deaths that are firework-related has increased by approximately 25 percent over the past 15 years.

Firework Injury Statistics

According to statistics compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 11,500 people were injured in accidents involving some type of firework. Nine people were killed. According to the report issued by the CPSC, the number of victims could have actually been higher except many public events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 15,600 victims who sought treatment for firework-related injuries in 2020.

Six of those fatalities occurred in incidents where there was some type of misuse of the pyrotechnics and one death was the result of a malfunctioning mortar launch.

Firecrackers were responsible for about 1,500 injuries and 1,100 injuries were caused by sparklers. Many people do not realize how dangerous sparklers can be, burning at 1,000 degrees or higher. Victims suffered injuries to the head, face, ears, hands, and fingers, with burns responsible for approximately one-third of the injuries.

Fireworks Survey

Along with the CPSC report comes the results of a recent parental survey regarding what type – if any – precautions parents take for their children around fireworks. The survey was conducted by the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. More than 2,000 parents with children between the ages of 3 and 18 participated.

More than half of those parents said that either someone in the family or in their neighborhood had set off some type of firework display over the prior two years, yet only one in five parents made sure their children stayed at least 100 feet from where the fireworks were being set. And one-third of those parents said their child had helped set off the fireworks.

When it comes to whether or not a parent would allow their child to help with setting off fireworks:

• One in five would allow a child 10 years or younger to help

• One-third would allow a child between 11 and 15 to help

• One-fourth said they would allow older teens to help

Contact a Medina County Injury Attorney

Unfortunately, no matter how diligent we are, accidents can still happen, especially due to someone’s negligence. Many firework accident victims are simply innocent bystanders.

If you or a family member has suffered a firework-related injury, contact the skilled Medina, OH personal injury attorneys at The Law Offices of Andrew M. Parker, LLC to find out what your legal options may be. Call 330-725-4114 today. We offer free consultations in most cases.

Source:

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-06-30/many-parents-ignore-fireworks-safety

https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/2021-Fireworks-Annual-Report.pdf