TYLER, Texas —
Every 4th of July, emergency rooms see an influx of injuries caused by fireworks.
On average, 280 people go to the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4, according to the CDC.
Chris Harris, owner of Pappy's Fireworks in Tyler, went over some rules and regulations centered around popping fireworks ahead of July 4th.
"Keep the products that you're lighting about 50 feet away from the products that you're going to light in the near future,” Harris said.
Two of the most commonly purchased fireworks at his shop are the 500 gram Finale fireworks and sparklers.
Vicky LaMay, a paramedic and outreach specialist with UT Health East Texas says some injuries occur from people standing too close to the fireworks.
"People either get too close, or they're around the area where they are being lit up and when they go off instead of going up they go sideways,” LaMay said. “We've seen people get hit in the head with these fireworks."
ALCOHOL-RELATED ACCIDENTS
LaMay has worked in he emergency department for more than 10 years and has found many firework injuries start out from too much alcohol.
"We definitely recommend that you keep your drinking to a minimum," Lamay said.
According to the NFPA, thousands of people, most often children and teens, are injured while using fireworks on the 4th of July.
During the 2018 calendar years, fireworks were involved in an estimated 9,100 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms.
"You want to set it up on a good flat surface,” Harris said. “You want to take some kind of block and set it up right beside it. Again, light it, let it do it's thing, hose it down and then drop it in a bucket of water, or a barrel of water, tub, something cheap from Walmart for 5 bucks. You would rather be safe than sorry."