LegalReader.com  ·  Legal News, Analysis, & Commentary

Lawsuits & Litigation

Fireworks Display Injury: 3 Things to Do


— January 31, 2022

Fireworks are pure firepower, so, it’s entirely possible that their damage can go deeper into the skin.


Celebrations bring forth fun and worthwhile activities, such as fireworks displays. A lot of people regardless of age looks forward to watching these mesmerizing light effects in the sky. 

Many would agree that firework displays can easily own the night. Barely visible stars are nothing to how much fireworks light up the darkness. That’s why the most notable holiday ceremonies have them as the main event.

However, behind the smiles and laughter that it brings, if the process is not done correctly, or mishandled in any way, injuries and accidents may occur.

To guide you through this, stated here is some valuable information regarding fireworks display injuries and some important things to remember if you experience it.

What Injuries Can You Sustain from a Fireworks Display

Instead of enjoying the festivity, there are many cases wherein fireworks ruin the event due to unexpected injuries or hazards those fireworks display often bring about like: 

  • Burns
  • Loss of hearing
  • Loss of body parts
  • Eye injuries
  • Broken bones, and
  • Lacerations

Although some of these injuries may differ depending on severity, they can still bring you more harm without any medical attention. So, it’s better to consult a medical professional right away.

What to Do Before Going to a Fireworks Display

Watching fireworks display is a breathtaking experience. It would be best that before you get ahead of yourself, make sure you consider these factors.

  1. Research Firework Regulations

Before the holiday season breaks out, the state government might announce some reminders on handling fireworks safely within your homes. But as you can see from this interesting blog post, other than reminding everyone about safety handling, there’s also a regulation on which specific fireworks are legal.

If there are no announcements made before the holidays, take the initiative in looking up laws regarding fireworks displays. After all, claiming that specific brands of fireworks are illegal is not to be taken lightly. Fortunately, fireworks display organizers typically include the names of the fireworks when announcing the event. As soon as those brands fall under the ones under illegal fireworks, you should exercise due diligence to report them

  1. Stay at a Safe Distance

How can you consider your spot is already a ‘safe distance’ away from any potential fireworks injury? As long as you’re not anywhere near their launching equipment, it lowers any possibility that you could get injured. 

What to Do if Injured

If you or someone else got injured, you must immediately push yourself to take action and seek help from professionals.

  1. Call tor Medical Attention

    Ambulance Company Settles Lawsuit with the EEOC
    Photo by Joe Kibria on Unsplash

Make sure the affected person gets to safety. Since fireworks displays rarely have few people gathered to watch them, the crowd would likely panic when something went wrong with the show. So, you must immediately look for an isolated area in the venue.

Regardless of their injury, you must maintain a clear head to correctly apply the basic first aid. If there’s even a drop of blood coming from somewhere, use a clean piece of cloth to put pressure on the wound. However, if it’s a burn, avoid touching to prevent infection. Instead, try to give the person space as much as possible, to let their burns cool down.

Fireworks are pure firepower, so, it’s entirely possible that their damage can go deeper into the skin. If the injured person incurred broken bones, don’t jostle them too much. Moving them might cause other parts to get dislocated. Make sure to protect the injured from being moved or touched until the help arrives.

  1. Identify Liability

Once you or the injured person is already on the way to recovery, consider determining who’s the one responsible for the fireworks display mishap. Since this was a show, it’s unlikely for anyone in the audience to get injured unless they intendedly sought the fireworks out. In that case, the opposing party can pin you as the one to be blamed.

However, if that’s not the case, either the company responsible for organizing the show or the fireworks manufacturer could be your culprit. Of course, you simply can’t point at them without any evidence. So, your primary goal here is to determine whether they executed the show with safe practices or not.

  1. Consult a Lawyer 

It should go without saying that you need a professional to act as your guide on what to do while your case is ongoing. What you should expect is that the opposing party will request you to meet with them. Once you get there, an agreement is required so both parties can compromise to each other’s demands.

However, since they’re the opposing party, they could twist the situation around to benefit more than you do. And that’s where your lawyer comes in, with their presence during the agreement, they can analyze the contract to have both parties benefit fairly or your side will benefit more since you’re the victim.

If both parties can’t agree, you’re allowed to file a personal injury lawsuit against the opposing side to court.  

Light It Up

Compared to concerts or competitions, fireworks displays are fantastic shows on their own. All the effort goes to the people organizing and executing the fireworks display. However, without implementing the proper safety hazards in handling fireworks, it would be inevitable for someone to get injured. So, make this article a guide before attending such events.

Join the conversation!