MIAMI – A Fourth of July celebration turned dangerous for a 23-year-old Miami man who authorities say injured his hand during a fireworks mishap Friday night.
They said the man was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center to be treated.
Witnesses told Local 10’s Brett Knese that they weren’t sure what kind of firework caused the incident.
Authorities say the incident occurred on Northwest 50th Street in Miami.
Witnesses told Local 10 that the victim was lighting a firework when something went wrong.
“We came outside when we heard all the commotion and the screaming and the yelling,” one resident said.
“Once it popped, he grabbed his hand and he was shoving it under his other arm,” another added.
The victim’s identity, condition and severity of his injury have not yet been released.
People living in the neighborhood say they’re fed up with fireworks injuries and want stricter enforcement or better safety measures.
“This happens every year. Either a hand blows off or a finger blows or an arm blows off. Something always happens,” one frustrated resident said.
Safety advocates are also renewing calls for caution around fireworks.
“Fireworks are not child’s play,” the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association said in a statement. “Even sparklers, that may look harmless, can reach temperatures up to 1,200 degrees, which can cause disfiguring burns and serious injuries. Consider giving children glow sticks and noisemakers instead of sparklers.”
The association also reminded the public that fireworks can be dangerous for animals.
“While people may like the flash and boom, for pets (and wild animals), fireworks can be terrifying, overwhelming and hazardous,” the organization said, pointing to guidance from the Humane Society of the United States at humanesociety.org.
This was not the only injury amidst the Independence Day celebrations.
Authorities said a woman in Hollywood was taken to the hospital to be treated for a burn, but officials are still investigating the cause.
Meanwhile, Miami police were also busy investigating another incident after a woman reported being hit in the head by some sort of projectile on Southwest 19th Avenue.
Local 10 is working to learn the extent of that woman’s injuries. She was alert when she was taken to the hospital.
First responders in the Miami area weren’t the only ones busy on the Fourth of July.
In Broward, fire crews responded to at least 15 different calls related to fireworks, according to authorities.
