Two Children Hospitalized after Firework Malfunction in Orange County
The 4th of July is, for many throughout America, a chance to enjoy a day off of work, have a couple beers, grill out, and watch fireworks. An additional activity also thrills millions across the nation: lighting off some fireworks of their own. While it is certainly exciting to put a match to a fuse and wait for the whistle and boom that follows, it is also true that many people do not fully appreciate just how dangerous this activity can be. Every Independence Day, hundreds of individuals find themselves rushed to emergency rooms after improper handling of fireworks or malfunctions within the explosive devices themselves. This year was no exception.
In Orange County, several people, believed to be primarily children, were engaged in lighting off their own fireworks along the 5000 block of Keith Place, just before the intersection of Silver Star Road and North Pine Hills Road. At some point during the event, a firework lit by the children went off while still in close proximity to their bodies.
A neighbor who called 9-1-1 described hearing a loud explosion and when they looked out their window they saw numerous children running away. The neighbor told the police that at least two of the children appeared to be bleeding from their arms and hands.
Emergency response teams including paramedics and EMTs rushed to the area, and the two children were taken from Keith Place to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children where they began to receive emergency medical treatment for their injuries. One of the two children was admitted as being a trauma alert, meaning that their injuries were very serious and likely life-altering. The other child was suffering from much less severe injuries, but it is believed that they were in need of emergency medical care nevertheless.
At the time of this writing, it is not clear who, if anyone, was in charge of watching the children at the time when the fireworks went off. It is also not clear if the explosion was due to a malfunction within the firework or if it was the result of improper handling of the explosive device by the children.
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.