A DC Resident Dies After Getting Struck in the Head By an At Home Firework
Pictured: An infographic from the DC County fire department showing how many firework accidents end in burns
Two holidays a year have the tradition of setting off fireworks, New Years and the Fourth of July. For both holidays people can gather around certain areas of the city or town to watch a controlled, colorful display of fireworks. These events are armed with firefighters in case something happens that causes a fire to start. It is very common for ash or a spark to set a fire which is why these displays are left to the professionals. Around these times, Fourth of July especially, people buy sparklers and bottle rockets to celebrate in their own yards. Some states sell fireworks legally but in most states it is illegal to buy and set off fireworks. Each year, there are many injuries and deaths caused by people setting off illegal fireworks.
On July 4, 2020 a man in DC was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries caused by fireworks that he was setting off at home. Doctors tried their hardest to save this man’s life but ultimately he had suffered a severe injury to the head and died a few days later. His death was ruled an accident.
The Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham stated that 57% of injuries from illegal fireworks are burns. In Dc on July 4th, 2019 there were nine serious incidents reported involving multiple children and in 2020 an 11-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital with second degree burns on her shoulders and neck.
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Questions:
1. What is Nevada’s policy on buying and selling fireworks?
2. What type of things happen legally when someone is injured due to illegal fireworks? Does that change if the person injured is a child?
3. Say your family has a party on the Fourth of July with several families with kids and your dad buys fireworks to set off. What would happen legally if a child that is not related to you gets injured by the fireworks?
Be sure to provide full explanations for your answers. For more details, you can read the article this piece was sourced from here:
Contributed by Saralynn Lindsay
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