Editor's Note: The video above is from June 2020.
The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and so many are ready to celebrate – especially after so many events were canceled last year.
But before you grab your fireworks and sparklers, make sure you're prepared to commemorate the holiday safely.
The number of people who ended up in the ER with firework-related injuries and even deaths increased 50 percent last summer, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And more young adults ages 20 to 24 were the ones getting hurt.
Here are five people who were lucky enough to survive fireworks mishaps.
- One of the most famous people to have lived through a fireworks accident is Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Back in 2015, he had his right index finger amputated after a firework he was trying to light exploded during a Fourth of July celebration in Deerfield Beach.
- While JPP was able to return to the game, former Bucs cornerback C.J. Wilson had to walk away from the NFL that same year following a separate Independence Day fireworks mishap. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported that Wilson lost two fingers in the accident.
- The 2020 report by the CPSC features cases from the previous year where people suffered fireworks injuries. In one case, a 9-year-old boy lost fingernail-sized tips on two of his fingers after he was hit with a mortar-type firework while at the park with his friends.
- A 22-year-old man cracked several bones in his hands and suffered burns to his face and chest while he was carrying a firework at a casino fireworks display. The CPSC says a firework got unbalanced and pointed toward the man and when he tried to shield his face, the sparks set off the firework in his hand.
- A 16-year-old boy and his friends put together a "sparkler bomb" made up of various fireworks and sparklers. The boy lit what he thought was a fuse and caused an explosion that left burns on his face and legs.
So whether you plan to celebrate at home or attend one of the many Independence Day events happening around the Tampa Bay area, make sure you're aware of your surroundings and practicing fireworks safety.
You can find tips for using fireworks safely during the Fourth of July here.
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