Top 10 Things Not to Do with Fireworks

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and that means it’s almost time for fireworks!

We hope you have a blast, but we also want to make sure you stay safe. So, if you plan to set the sky alight, here are 10 things you really shouldn’t do.

DO NOT…

• Shoot your friends with fireworks. Always remember, fireworks are dangerous (Tragically, 18 lives were lost in fireworks-related incidents in 2020, a 50% increase from the previous year). So, don’t do anything like what these guys did.
• Start with the grand finale. In 2021, stacks of fireworks ignited and set off a cascade of explosions in Toledo, Ohio. Four people were injured but thankfully none were life threatening.

• Launch fireworks off your head. It’ll end just how you’d expect… not well.
• Hold a lit firework. As a general rule, holding things that are on fire is not a good idea. That’s especially the case with fireworks, where mistakes like these are so common.
• Attempt to re-light a malfunctioning firework. Super Bowl Champion Jason Pierre-Paul of the Tampa Bay Bucs, then a New York Giant, infamously lost his finger attempting to re-light a malfunctioning firework. Fortunately, the NFL star has bounced back.
• Pick fireworks up off the ground. Pick up litter, not fireworks! In DeLand, a man lost part of his hand trying to do the latter.

• Light your house on fire. Front row tickets to a fireworks display sound nice… if you know what you’re doing. The reality was anything but for a Brooklyn man who set his home ablaze attempting a pyrotechnics display.
• Discard fireworks before soaking them. Following a Fourth of July celebration, a DeKalb man forgot the basics: soak spent and unused fireworks in water for a few hours before discarding them. His mistake landed him in some hot water when he nearly burned down his house.

• Mix booze and fireworks. It’s a bad cocktail. Take it from a man who was critically injured doing just that. Drinking lowers inhibition and can lead to tragic outcomes.
• Stand too close! In Indiana, a man tragically passed away after a mortar shell exploded and he was struck with shrapnel. Make sure you are always a safe distance away from fireworks going off.

If you do wind up in a jam this Fourth of July, Morgan & Morgan is here to help, so contact us for a free, no-risk case evaluation.

We hope you have a wonderful Independence Day!