In previous years around Bonfire Night Tyne and Wear and Northumberland have recorded the second highest number of firework injuries in the country. In the north we had 991 Firework related injuries in 2005 and 20 people were admitted to hospitals in Tyne and Wear for bonfire or fireworks related injuries in 2006.
Of those injuries in 2005, 69% were incurred by boys and 31% by girls the majority of which occurred to the eyes and hands and were caused by the throwing of fireworks.
Case Studies - Don't let it happen to you!
| David was at a Bonfire Party held by his uncle and a friend were setting off fireworks in the garden. As the adults lit the tapers on the rockets, one of the bottles they were using to hold them upright fell over after the rocket in it had been lit. The rocket went off and bounced off a wall and exploded on David’s leg. The fireworks caused burns and tissue damage to his leg and left fragments of firework burned into and embedded in the flesh. David needed an operation to open the wound, remove the fragments and plastic surgery treatment for the burns and wounds. He still bears the scars today and wanted to share his story. David said “It is better to avoid having your own display and go to an organised one because that’s more organised.” |
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Connor was at a bonfire which some others had built. They were having fun and joking around but as he walked around the bonfire, he tripped on the springs of a mattress which had been burned. He fell forwards and put his hands out to stop himself. His hands made contact with a hot metal plate that had been on the fire. Both of his hands were badly injured and swollen with blisters which had to be cut off at the hospital before his hands could be bandaged. Connor had to have many treatments and couldn’t do anything for himself for weeks whilst his hands were bandaged. He said: "My hands were really sore and took ages to heal. Don’t go near fires because they can be really harmful and dangerous."
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Keep safe this bonfire night by following our advice. Read more profiles of people affected by Bonfire and firework-related injuries on our Bebo site - simply search for 'ruin lives in a flash'.
