Stay Safe In Your Lighting Fireworks This Summer

It’s about that time of the year where birthdays, graduations, 4th of July celebrations, and most any day that ends in Y, somewhere throughout the Elm City you can hear someone lighting fireworks.  It’s a fun and festive way to celebrate a special occasion, but it certainly comes with quite a few risks for injuring yourself and getting into a New Haven personal injury case.

According to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission the number of fireworks related injuries and deaths increased dramatically in the most recent survey of this type of report.  The statistics show that between 2019 and 2020 there was a 50% increase in these types of injuries and deaths.  While a somewhat small number of deaths occurred due to fireworks related incidents, 18, any death is too many.  According to the report a staggering 15,600 people were seen in an emergency room setting due to fireworks related injury in 2020.

So, how can you protect yourself and your loved ones from this type of dangerous injury?

1.) The best way you can protect yourself and your loved ones from a fireworks related injury is by staying home or going to watch a show that is put on by a professional fireworks artist.  Many Connecticut towns and cities have fireworks displays that rival some of the biggest cities in the country and they are well worth viewing.  Plus, you are far enough away from the action that injuries are not a major concern.

2.) If you do light fireworks on your own do so with a long fuse and a long match or lighter so you have plenty of time to get out of the direct line of fire that the explosive needs to be lit.

3.) Never, under any circumstances, light fireworks while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  Alcohol or drugs can limit your ability to react if something does not go according to plan and you can injure yourself or someone nearby.

Fireworks add a little something extra to a celebration and it can be a lot of fun, but if not handled in a safe way they are dangerous and can lead to a New Haven personal injury accident.  As with most dangerous activities if you are following safety procedures you can do them safely and without incident, but when you skip the safety, danger sometimes follows.

If you are injured this summer or someone you know is injured this summer when utilizing fireworks you may need to speak with an attorney.  Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will review your case and work with you to protect your long-term interests.