Texas Border Business
There’s no doubt that fireworks can be a source of great entertainment and spectacle, but they also pose serious safety risks, including burns, eye injuries and fire hazards.
In 2024, there were 11 reported fireworks-related deaths in the United States, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC).
Meanwhile, an estimated 14,700 people were rushed to emergency rooms across the country for treatment of fireworks injuries, per the USCPSC, a 52% jump from 9,700 in 2023.
Burns were the most common injury, with hands and fingers being the most frequently injured body parts.
“Fireworks, even small ones, burn at extremely high temperatures and can result in severe burns, including third-degree burns, in mere seconds,” says Santos Cantu, MD, an emergency medicine physician who serves as the medical director of the emergency department at STHS Children’s. “These burns can lead to extensive scarring and permanent damage. Additionally, fireworks can explode with considerable force, which can cause blunt trauma to the body and potentially lead to amputations of fingers, hands or limbs.”Since Independence Day falls on a Friday this year, the South Texas Health System Trauma & Critical Care Instituteis bracing for an influx of fireworks injury-related cases throughout the weekend.
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