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Fireworks: Foolishness, Fails & Fatalities

JamesWhitehead

Piffle Prospector
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
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http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/stories/Detail_LinkStory=23472.html

Boy's hand blown off by rocket
A TEENAGER had his right hand blown off when he picked up a huge display firework.

Adam Sotheron, 18, lit the firework on wasteland in Bond Square, Higher Broughton, Salford last night.

It is believed he then picked up the three-and-a half-foot "Bad Boy'' rocket which exploded causing devastating injuries to his hand.

The firework - embossed with a picture of cartoon character Denis the Menace - had "display only" written on it.

Today Adam was recovering in Wythenshawe Hospital with his family at his bedside after being transferred from North Manchester General.

Station Officer Terry McDermott of Greater Manchester Fire Service said: "The firework was a rocket-type. It would appear he had been holding it. He had been trying to light it but was having difficulty igniting the fuse. It then exploded unexpectedly in his hand.

"According to the instructions it should be placed in a mortar tube to be launched and people should be 25 metres away.

"This tragedy reinforces the fact that all fireworks are dangerous when mishandled, even smaller garden fireworks. This incident was particularly severe because of the huge amount of gunpowder in the firework.

"These fireworks are like a bomb. And they have enough force that if they go off in your possession you are likely to lose limbs, which is what has happened in this case."
Seized

Adam, of Hartis Avenue, Higher Broughton, was with another youth when the accident happened. The fire service seized a second identical rocket from the teenagers.

Chief Inspector Nigel Bonser of Salford Police said: "We are making inquiries into the incident and how the firework came to be in the possession of the young man.''

Adam is the second Greater Manchester teenager to lose his hand in a firework accident. Last night the MEN reported how a 15-year-old boy from Bury had his hand blown off while trying to light a large firework at Elton High School.

The teenager, who was not a pupil at the school, lit the massive firework at about 10.30pm on Thursday and put it in a classroom cupboard.

When it failed to detonate he opened the cupboard and reached inside to grab the firework which then blew up causing massive injuries to his hand and chest.

Surgeons were unable to save his hand and the boy remains critically ill in Fairfield Hospital.

As reported in the MEN last week police seized an arsenal of highly dangerous fireworks being sold to children on the black market. Officers discovered hundreds of fireworks - including some that can only be sold to people with explosives training - being sold to youngsters from the back of a van and a car boot in Wythenshawe.

Up to half were extremely powerful Category Four display fireworks.

Greater Manchester Fire Service dealt with 228 incidents in a 12-hour period up to 5.30am today. In four incidents fireworks caused injury or damage to property.

Kelly Sutcliffe has a lasting reminder of just how dangerous fireworks can be. The pretty 20-year-old Manchester Airport worker has been left scarred for life after being struck on the face, chest, chin and wrist by a firework at a party last New Year's Eve. Kelly has backed the MEN's campaign to ban sales of fireworks to the public.

And she is suing the firm which supplied the firework that injured her in a bid to prevent others from going through the same ordeal she suffered. A hard-hitting M.E.N. dossier on firework incidents includes the harrowing story of a pregnant woman who lost her baby after one hit her the stomach.

The Greater Manchester mother told how she suffered a miscarriage after the firework was pushed through her letterbox by young thugs.The woman almost died.
 
James Whitehead said:
Station Officer Terry McDermott of Greater Manchester Fire Service said: "The firework was a rocket-type. It would appear he had been holding it. He had been trying to light it but was having difficulty igniting the fuse. It then exploded unexpectedly in his hand.

That'll teach the stupid little sod.
 
LOL i wonder if he will learn anything from that?? my family are from Higher Broughton too! (useless trivia)

Its a good job the firemen didnt go on strike! with 228 incidents in a 12-hour period up to 5.30am today:(
 
That little sh*t, I hope he blows his other hand off next year.

No sympathy here I'm afraid- I hate fireworks and wish the sale of them had been banned years ago.
 
When i was at school, me and my friends had to dodge rockets that had been fired at us every morning.

Not funny!:mad:
 
Seems like Uncle Darwin is chlorinating the shallow end of the gene pool again :)
 
It isn't always the irresponsible who get caught out. I once had a damn great three barreled thing blow up in my face as I lit it. I was very lucky to escape with a numb face and feeling very shaky and with my ears whistling (good trick if you can do it! hehehe) for the rest of the night.
 
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Ah my pet hate.
I wouldn't be hard on the kid, cuz he's sort of had his punishment now and has to spend the rest of his life knowing what an idiot he was.
 
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Every year. EVERY CHUFFING YEAR. Are these people stupid? A firework is an explosive. People with burn injuries on November 5th should be turned away from hospitals, forced to wear dunce style hats, saying "I AM A THICK STUPID CNUT WHO DESERVES TO LOOSE THE OTHER HAND TINKERING WITH MY FLYMO" and ridiculed by a team of highly trained, sarcastic hyenas while on the bus home.
I have no time for them.
 
I hate to seem harsh but does anyone else think of this as natural selection at work.
Personaally I feel that people should be allowed to do any dumb thing they want to, so long as no-one else is endangered.
It would also help if they did this before breeding.
 
When i lived on boat we had a fireworks party on the beech (mud) and one scally wag decided launching rockets hprizontaly was agood idea.... to wards hi sarch enamy the police station, basicly cos they stoped him acting the arse that he was(still is actuly) the next week the paper reported that a copper was interviewing a suspect and an erant rocket came in the open window and thro the bars and landed on the desk... which is quite funny.......till u think how lucky it was that it was one of them cheep all wizz and no bang rockets....
 
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My experience of November 5th as a teenager was that some older kids did indeed throw fireworks from cars, launch rockets at people from shoulder-mounted lengths of drain-pipe and shove smoke bombs through letter boxes. In fact, I became quite an expert at dodging most forms of shop-bought incendiary device.

If, when I was 12, 13 or 14, someone had turned up on a motorbike and started hurling fireworks around, I can honestly say it wouldn't have surprised me. Although his name would have been Evo, Kevo, Stevo (or similar) and not Fred :)
 
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Dashwood said:
My experience of November 5th as a teenager was that some older kids did indeed throw fireworks from cars, launch rockets at people from shoulder-mounted lengths of drain-pipe and shove smoke bombs through letter boxes. In fact, I became quite an expert at dodging most forms of shop-bought incendiary device.

If, when I was 12, 13 or 14, someone had turned up on a motorbike and started hurling fireworks around, I can honestly say it wouldn't have surprised me. Although his name would have been Evo, Kevo, Stevo (or similar) and not Fred :)

Lest anyone else get the idea that trying this is a good idea, a couple of morons here in New Jersey attempted the same thing with a large firework, forgetting their car window was closed, and ended up with severely damaged hands and a wrecked, burnt-up vehicle.
 
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Firecracker stunt sends man to hospital


By NICK ROGERS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

Jim the Photographer, an on-air personality at WQLZ-FM 92.7, was listed in good condition Monday at Memorial Medical Center after sparks from a bottle rocket burned his buttocks Sunday at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

The accident occurred about 5 p.m. outside the Exposition Building, before a station-sponsored concert featuring rock bands Atomship, Apartment 26, Cold and Sevendust.

"The bottle rocket exploded on the launching pad," said Jim, 49, whose real name is Jim McGill. "And the launching pad was my rear end."

McGill routinely performs physically punishing stunts on "Ray Lytle's Morning Disaster." On Sunday, he was shooting bottle rockets from his buttocks atop the station's promotional Hummer vehicle - a pre-show stunt he typically does for those waiting in line at concerts.


"I have done this more than 100 times and never had trouble," said McGill, whose accident was broadcast over the air via a live remote.

The stunt began with several successful launches assisted by two other WQLZ employees.

"It's not brain surgery, how you do it," said Mikey Austin, also a "Morning Disaster" personality.

McGill traditionally lodges a tube in his buttocks, into which bottle rockets are inserted and then launched.

However, "Morning Disaster" host Ray Lytle said he was told this particular rocket had more sparks than usual, some of which apparently went down the launching tube. The firework was said to have gone off five to 10 feet away from McGill's buttocks.

McGill, who suffered burns on his buttock cheeks and anus, was taken by ambulance to Memorial, where he underwent surgery at 12:30 a.m. Monday.


"You should have seen the surgeon's face when he found out who he operated on," said Suzie Pollett, a friend of McGill's, who was with him in the hospital Monday. "'Boy, I've seen a whole different view of him' is what he said."

Pollett, also known as "Guest Girl Suzie" on the "Morning Disaster," said she will help take care of McGill during his recovery. He was kept Monday for observation and is expected to return home today.

Glen Gardner, general manager of Mid West Family Communications, the company that owns WQLZ, declined comment on the accident, citing employee matters and health issues.

Lytle, also WQLZ's program director, said disciplinary action was taken. One of the two employees atop the Hummer with McGill at the time of the accident was suspended.

"I suspended this person not because they did anything to hurt Jimmy, but I thought it was bad judgment," Lytle said. "They were not watching out for everything that was going on."

The "Morning Disaster" crew spoke with McGill in the hospital by telephone on the air during the Monday-morning show.

Some listeners, though, still believe this is yet another of the morning zoo's pranks. After all, the crew mourned McGill's "death" on March 29, reportedly caused by "severe rectal trauma."

"We joked about the rectal trauma, and then he ended up with a burn on his butt," Lytle said. "That's really all it is."

"Nobody believes it," McGill said. "They feel like I'm crying wolf again, and it's like, 'Oh yeah, yeah.'"

http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/24714.asp
 
Could probably fit under stupdity too but I like the gran's reaction :)

Fourth of July pop-bottle rocket dodgeball game ends in tragedy


By Jake Stoltz, THG News

A 65 year old Bloomfield woman lost a toe when a pop-bottle rocket fired by her grandson exploded on her foot Sunday at his family’s annual Fourth of July picnic.

Jonathan L. Reed, a 15 year old honor student and wrestler at Greene County High School, and several friends were firing pop-bottle rockets into the air on Sunday when they decided to play an impromptu game of dodgeball, substituting the fireworks for the traditional rubber or foam ball.

The game went on for several minutes with only minor burns sustained by the participants until Reed accidentally aimed too low and fired a pop-bottle rocket that landed on his grandmother Agnes Clausen’s right foot.

The rocket exploded, mangling Clausen’s middle toe on that foot. Clausen’s doctor, Sam Jacobs, says the damage is irreversible and that the toe is too damaged to be reattached but expects her to be able to walk again in a few days. Clausen also sustained burns on her other toes and the top of her foot.

Despite the tragedy, Clausen was in high spirits. “If that is the worst thing that ever happens to me, then I am in pretty good shape. Accidents sometimes happen, especially when you are dealing with dumb-ass teenagers.”

Reed felt terrible about the incident. “I love my granny (Clausen) and feel horrible about what happened. Next time I mess with fireworks I am going to make sure there aren’t any old people around.”

Reed’s mother, Karen, grounded her son for the rest of the week for the incident.

http://www.hoosiergazette.com/Sports/July2004/sports001.htm
 
Emperor said:
Could probably fit under stupdity too but I like the gran's reaction :)



http://www.hoosiergazette.com/Sports/July2004/sports001.htm

And conceiveably even 'When Life Imitates the Movies' [I'm not sure exactly what the thread's name is]. I'd be curious as to whether he and his pals had just seen the new film Dodgeball .

(I've not seen it, dunno if there are any fireworks-related scenes, either.)
 
lopaka said:
And conceiveably even 'When Life Imitates the Movies' [I'm not sure exactly what the thread's name is]. I'd be curious as to whether he and his pals had just seen the new film Dodgeball .

(I've not seen it, dunno if there are any fireworks-related scenes, either.)

Interesting angle but from what it says they just adapted a game of dodgeball (a common if cruel sport in US schools if TV can be trusted) to use fireworks.

Emps
 
Reed felt terrible about the incident. “I love my granny (Clausen) and feel horrible about what happened. Next time I mess with fireworks I am going to make sure there aren’t any old people around.”

So it's alright to blow up young people's feet? Why didn't anybody tell me? :devil:
Reed’s mother, Karen, grounded her son for the rest of the week for the incident.

That's rather a light punishment for destroying someone's toe, surely? :)
 
From Victor Lewis-Smith's Funny Old World in the current Private Eye (Eye 1110: 15) - its not too recent but worth posting ;) :

"I wanted to play a prank on her, but I can see now that I hadn't really thought it through," thirty-five-year-old Shannon Kramer admitted to police officers from his hospital bed in Jacksonville, Florida. "I'd driven my girlfriend out to the beach in my Ford Mustang, and she'd got out. She was walking around, and I was sitting in the driver's seat, and I thought it wOuld be kinda funny to shoot a firework at her out through the car window.

"I had a box of six-inch rockets with me, so I took one out, aimed it at her through the vindow, and lit it. Only then did I realise that the electric window was wound up, and that because I hadn't left the key in the ignition, I couldn't wind it down. I suppose I should have opened the door quickly and got out, but by the time I'd thought of that, the rocket had gone off, and started whooshing round and round inside the car. It was awful. So bright and loud and hot and fast. I thought I was dead. I couldn't see, I couldn't hear, it set fire to my hair and clothes, and ended up jammed between my legs and shooting flames into my buttocks.

"When it was all over, I tried to get out, but I couldn't walk or even stand up, and I was temporarily blinded. The ambulance men told me I've got second-degree burns to my buttocks, groin and legs. And needless to say, I've lost my eyelashes and most of my body hair, and the rocket even scorched an outline of my sandals onto my feet. I suppose it's lucky that the rest of the rockets didn't catch light too, otherwise I might really have been in trouble."
(Orlando Sentinel and St Petersburg Times, 5/4/04. Spotter: Michael Crowe)

Another version:

Police: Man Burned After Setting Off Firework In Car

POSTED: 12:48 pm EST March 29, 2004
UPDATED: 12:52 pm EST March 29, 2004

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A man in Jacksonville was seriously burned when he accidentally set off a commercial firework in his car that he apparently intended to throw at his girlfriend, according to a report.

Investigators said the Shannon Kramer, 35, got into an argument with his girlfriend Sunday night on Herschel Street.

Police said he later got into his car, and apparently lit the explosive with the intention of throwing it at his girlfriend, but the device dropped between his legs, WJXT-TV reported.

"He light the fuse, which was long -- they believe about 18 inches -- but it was about a half-second burn time," Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Lt. Larry Gayle said. "He was prepared for the fuse to burn down that fast. He thought he had time to throw the device."

Neighbors who heard the explosion ran to the car, saw the man on fire and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.

Kramer suffered burns to his legs and groin, and was taken to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center.

Jacksonville police said a passenger in the car fled after the blast.

The bomb squad is still investigating, but it's not known if Kramer will be charged with a crime.

http://www.local6.com/news/2957654/detail.html

Jacksonville man burned when he fires rocket at girlfriend

an Associated Press report 3/30/04

JACKSONVILLE - Shannon Kramer's plans to fire a rocket toward his girlfriend went awry when the firework ricocheted inside his car and dived between his legs, bursting in a display that burned hair and skin from his feet to his groin, police said.

Kramer, 35, told The Florida Times-Union he lit a fuse on the 6-inch-rocket, but wasn't able to get it out the window of his Ford Mustang before it went off.

Seconds later, after the rocket blasted around inside the car, Kramer was burned and temporarily blinded.

"I thought I was dead," he said. "I couldn't see, I couldn't hear. I went to stand up and I couldn't walk."

Kramer said he suffered second-degree burns and a cut on one leg. His eyelashes and a lot of body hair are gone and an outline of his sandals is burned onto his feet.

Jacksonville police were called to the explosion about 9:30 p.m. Sunday and were told a man who had been threatening his girlfriend with a bomb had a mishap.

Kramer said he was only playing a prank and was intending to fire the rocket out the window as he passed.

Police referred the case to the State Attorney's Office, but prosecutors declined to charge Kramer, police spokesman Ken Jefferson said.

Kramer said the rocket, which resembled a bottle rocket, was the diameter of a golf ball.

"I had a couple but this was the biggest," he said. "No more of those."

http://www.abcactionnews.com/stories/2004/03/040330firework.shtml

Emps
 
Two Florida men killed by blowing selves up in car full of fireworks


MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) - A second Florida man died of injuries suffered when he and a friend accidentally set off a load of fireworks last month while they were driving.

Antonio Robinson, 27, died Tuesday evening at the hospital where he had been since the accident that burned him over 40 per cent of his body, police said.

Robinson and Artavis Walker, 23, were lighting fireworks and throwing them out their car's windows the night of June 28 when a cigarette fell into the back seat and set off the remaining fireworks.

Robinson, who was in the passenger seat, escaped the flaming vehicle a few blocks before it crashed into a light pole.

Walker was unable to escape the car until after the crash. He was burned over 90 per cent of his body and died the next day.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2004/07/14/542977-ap.html
 
Robinson and Artavis Walker, 23, were lighting fireworks and throwing them out their car's windows the night of June 28 when a cigarette fell into the back seat and set off the remaining fireworks.
That'll larn'em. :laughing:
 
I swear, I never get invited to any of the really groovy 4th of July parties here in town.

July 4

Man shot by cannon during celebration

Douglas County Sheriff’s officers are investigating an unusual shooting after a 51-year-old man was accidentally shot in the torso by a cannon.

The incident happened just before 9 p.m. during Fourth of July celebrations in the 1700 block of East 1000 Road.

The cannon was described as a small heirloom, roughly a foot in size.

Witnesses said the cannon was packed with black powder and newspaper when it accidentally discharged.

The victim was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. His condition was not available Wednesday night.

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/jul/0 ... city_local
 
What a pillock:

Man fired 'rockets' at aircraft

A landscaper has admitted blasting fireworks into the path of passenger planes landing at Edinburgh Airport.

Peter Crane, 20, fired the rockets from his back garden in Newbridge on a busy Friday night on 29 October 2004.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court he pleaded guilty to reckless conduct by placing pilots, air crew and passengers in potential danger.

Sentence was deferred for a background report. BAA said incidents of that kind were "grossly irresponsible".

At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Malcolm Stewart the exploding rockets could have harmed the landing gear or wiring of the planes or disturbed the pilots at a difficult time of the flight.

Because the passenger planes travel at 130mph, the margin of error is very small
Prosecutor Malcolm Stewart

"There was not only an actual risk of damage but a risk of the pilots being distracted by the noise or sudden flash which could have affected their night vision at this very crucial time," he said.

"Because the passenger planes travel at 130mph, the margin of error is very small and these were the highest category of rockets that can be legally sold to the public."

He added that he was surprised a similar incident had never occurred before.

He told Sheriff Isabella McColl that when the wind blew from the east, planes made their final descent into the airport directly above Crane's home at Riverside in Newbridge.

Air traffic controllers noticed the rockets exploding from about 1930 GMT for several hours until police detained Crane.

'Grossly irresponsible'

The controllers started to warn crews of the hazard and one pilot reported back: "If the last firework had happened a second later we would have been very close to it."

Crane admitted setting off the display but denied that he was intentionally aiming at aircraft.

However, he did admit knowing that planes flew directly above his house, sometimes very low.

BAA spokesperson Malcolm Robertson said: "Clearly we regard any behaviour of the kind which places aircraft and communities at danger as grossly irresponsible."

He added that the flights that night would have been a combination of international and shuttle flights.

---------------
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/s ... 567136.stm

Published: 2005/12/29 14:28:25 GMT

© BBC MMV
 
On the subject of fireworks, we had our own little scare over Christmas:-

Bomb squad called to fireworks hoard

POLICE backed by bomb disposal experts swooped to recover half a ton of fireworks buried in a field.

They sealed off Beach Road and Cottenham Road, which run from Cottenham to Landbeach, after receiving intelligence that a "large container" of fireworks had been stored in the area.

Police said 50-year-old Roger Patrick Goldthorp, of Ditton Fields, Cambridge, has been arrested in connection with the operation.

He appeared before Cambridge magistrates on Tuesday charged with possession of an imitation firearm, assault and sending a malicious communication.

He was remanded in custody to appear again in court at a later date.

The police operation began early in the morning on Boxing Day.

Officers were supported by the Royal Logistic Corps' explosive ordnance disposal team from Colchester but the fireworks were safely recovered without any action from them.

A police spokesman said: "The search of the land came to a conclusion when half a ton of fireworks was discovered.

"Everything was done to make sure this operation passed off peacefully and there was no threat to the public."

Residents only became aware of the situation when they found the road blocked in Cottenham, at the junction with Long Drove, on Boxing Day morning.

One man, who asked not to be named, said: "We are fairly isolated out here and we were concerned.

"I was taking a friend to Stansted Airport at 9.30am and the road was closed.

"Traffic was turning back through the village.

"They sealed off the road - they couldn't do anything else. The police did say they hoped to resolve the situation by the end of the day."

The road was eventually reopened late on Boxing Day once the fireworks had been recovered.

Source

We also had a incident earlier in the year, when another bloke had a barn full of fireworks!!!!!
 
Jail for fireworks air alert man

A landscaper who launched fireworks in the direction of passenger planes landing at Edinburgh Airport has been jailed for two months.
Peter Crane, 20, had directed fireworks from his back garden into the path of air traffic on 29 October, 2004.

He pleaded guilty to reckless conduct by placing pilots, air crew and passengers in potential danger.

Sheriff Isabella McColl told Crane the public had witnessed "the horror" of plane crashes on television.

She said: "This situation was considered by the pilots to involve a live possibility of danger.

"I therefore consider a custodial sentence should be imposed as a deterrent to others. My personal view is that this was a very serious matter."

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard how air traffic controllers noticed the rockets exploding from about 1930 GMT on 29 October for several hours until police detained Crane at his home in Riverside, Newbridge.

'Grossly irresponsible'

The exploding rockets could have harmed the landing gear or wiring of the planes, or disturbed the pilots' concentration, the court was told.

Defence agent Alan Jackson said Crane had simply purchased the "cheapest" fireworks from a supermarket and did not know how high they would go.

Crane had lit the fuses in his garden and the fireworks had exploded in intervals, but he had not deliberately targeted the planes, Mr Jackson said.

He added that Crane would now get permission before holding any other firework displays in his garden.

BAA spokesperson Malcolm Robertson said it regarded any behaviour of the kind which places aircraft and communities at danger as "grossly irresponsible".

He added that the flights on the night in question would have been a combination of international and domestic.





Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/s ... 650342.stm

Published: 2006/01/26 14:14:38 GMT

© BBC MMVI

Edit to amend title.
 
Do they tell people living near airports that they shouldn't let off fireworks? I wouldn't have a clue how high they went.
 
Stupid?

A man is in hospital with severe internal injuries after trying to launch a powerful firework rocket from his backside.

Safety campaigners say they have never come across such a bizarre incident but it is thought the man, 22, could have been copying a scene from the controversial film Jackass: The Movie which shows a similar prank.

The incident in Sunderland was captured by a gang of youths and the fuzzy mobile phone footage shows a blinding white flash followed by hysterical laughter.

A spokeswoman for the North East Ambulance Service said: "We received a call stating there was a male who had a firework in his bottom and it was bleeding.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6203022,00.html
 
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