Are fireworks part of your 4th of July celebration?
If so, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants us to put safety into play. A new CPSC study indicates that in 2009, there were two deaths and nearly 9,000 emergency room visits for injuries resulting from fireworks-related incidents. Most fireworks injuries occurred to consumers younger than 20 and resulted in the loss of a limb in many cases.
During the 30 days surrounding last year's Independence Day holiday, there were reports of nearly 6,000 injuries from fireworks. Burns and lacerations to the hands, the face, and the head were the most frequently reported injuries. Also, more than half of the injuries during that time frame were related to bottle rockets, firecrackers, and sparklers.
If you decide to purchase legal fireworks, you are encouraged to take the following safety steps:
Do not allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
Please make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.
Avoid buying fireworks sold in brown paper packaging, since this is a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and may pose a danger to you.
Adults should always supervise fireworks activities. Parents often don't realize that many injuries occur from sparklers to children under five years ikd. Sparklers burn at a temperature of approximately 2,000 degrees - hot enough to melt metal.
Never have any portion of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting its fuse. Move away to a safe distance immediately after lighting.
Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited properly.
Never throw or point fireworks at another person.
Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or another mishap.
Only light one item at a time then move back quickly.
A. Jason Kerckhoff is a San Diego personal injury lawyer and the President of Kerckhoff Law, APC, a San Diego personal injury & wrongful death law firm dedicated to representing people who have been seriously injured or killed, and the families of loved ones who have suffered death caused by the negligence of another.
A. Jason Kerckhoff has been successfully obtaining excellent results for his clients for more than twenty-five years. He has the highest rating in Martindale-Hubbell, which is the preeminent company that rates attorneys not only for their abilities, but for their ethics. These ratings are obtained by peers in the San Diego community, and a small percentage of lawyers are privileged to have achieved this rating.
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