The beautiful Tennessee summers bring family and friends together to enjoy some fun in the sun and celebrate the season’s holidays. Fireworks are an exciting addition to any summer celebration, but if not used responsibly, these visual delights can cause serious injury to not only the user, but anyone nearby as well. An excellent way to protect your family and prevent injury is to attend a professional fireworks show, but for those who would like to celebrate at home, practicing safety is key in order to have safe, fun-filled festivities during the summer season.
In honor of National Fireworks Safety Month in June, here are some fireworks safety tips to protect you and your family from a seasonal accident:
- To prevent a TN child injury accident, kids should not be allowed to play with fireworks. If you do allow your little ones to play with sparklers, make sure an adult is supervising them and instruct them to keep the sparkler away from their face, clothing, and hair, and to hold it at arm’s length.
- Always use fireworks outside, and keep a bucket of water or hose nearby in case of an accident. Soak all fireworks in the bucket of water before disposing of them in the trash.
- For those lighting fireworks, don’t hold the firework in your hand or have any part of the body over it while lighting it and wear eye protection to help prevent any injury to the eye. Fireworks should always be pointed away from homes and kept away from brush, leaves, and other flammable substances.
- No more than one firework should be lit at a time, and a “dud” should never be relit.
- Fireworks spectators should keep a safe distance away from the shooter. Also, alcohol and fireworks don’t mix, so individuals enjoying the show should make sure the shooter is sober and able to safely light the fireworks.
At the law firm of Massey & Associates, P.C., we encourage everyone to follow these fireworks safety tips to have a fun, safe summer season. However, the negligence of another party may disrupt your summer fun and cause a dangerous fireworks-related burn accident. If you have suffered a burn injury in a fireworks accident, contact one of our skilled burn injury lawyers in Chattanooga at (423) 396-0720 to see how we can help you obtain compensation for your injuries.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
