Majority of firework injuries happen near the 4th of July

Drive anywhere right now and it is hard to miss the firework stands. But just because people can buy them, does not mean they should.

WINK News picked up some fireworks Wednesday. While the fireworks are small, if a person does not know how to handle them, he or she can get seriously hurt.

Mark Solich, the Cape Coral battalion chief, set up a demonstration to show how any firework can be hazardous.

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“This is a good illustration of what could happen,” Chief Solich said. “It could not only burn the tissue, but it could also remove some of the tissue from the blast itself. You could lose fingers; you could lose a hand.”

Last year, there were more than 9,000 emergency room calls nationwide due to fireworks. More than half of those were around the 4th of July.

Large fireworks are not the only ones that can cause severe damage. Syndi Bultman, with Lee Health, said bottle rockets are some of the most dangerous.

“When that bottle explodes, that rocket is going off,” Bultman said. “Its where you get the glass shattering into their eyes. I have seen where somebody comes in and they’ve got glass sticking out of their eye.”

“If you choose to use fireworks, use them safely,” Chief Solich said. “But also you have the opportunity to experience the fireworks that are going off at the Red, White and Boom.”