How to celebrate safely
The emergency room staff at University Health is the best in the region, and they see many injuries due to fireworks over the July 4th weekend. "It’s usually one of the busiest shifts. We see a lot of injuries," said Emergency Medicine Doctor Stefanie Ellison, MD.
While our ER staff is amazing, we want to help you avoid meeting them over the holiday weekend. Dr. Ellison offers some simple reminders.
First, do not let children hold sparklers, and for bigger kids and adults, stay clear of more powerful fireworks.
"Bottle rockets are the worst. They can go at high speed into your eye. A lot of patients have lost their eyes because of that," Ellison said.
Avoid firing guns into the air, as many cities have ordinances against celebratory gunfire. Ellison adds, "Even when it goes up, it must come down. If you are underneath it or it hits your head, it can kill you."
As a reminder, here’s a quick checklist to keep you and your family safe this holiday:
- Keep fireworks such as sparklers out of the hands of children.
- Avoid contact with powerful fireworks.
- Do not hold fireworks in your hand.
- Do not fire weapons such as guns into the air.