# Be careful out there. Fireworks mishaps 2022 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 4, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393 "2022-07-04T13:34:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/21 "2022-07-06T07:40:33Z")
nope theyve changed sparklers about 20 years ago …they’re made out of plastic and paper and they don’t even sparkle anymore … they’re so disliked that most fireworks stands give me away as freebees and they still cant get rid of a lot of them ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/22 "2022-07-06T11:25:26Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Ah fireworks…the silent killer. No, silly. Fireworks are the _invisible_ killer. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/23 "2022-07-06T11:52:13Z")
I never really understood why there were so many tragedies with fireworks until last year, and my sister’s roommates were all about actually throwing them. We’d always had a healthy respect for them in my house and around everyone else I knew. This year, we watched them on TV—albeit mostly as a sort of protest. One of our party just couldn’t bring themselves to celebrate this year. But we convince them that Disney fireworks would be okay. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/24 "2022-07-06T13:28:57Z")
Wow. > ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/25 "2022-07-06T13:54:56Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > nope theyve changed sparklers about 20 years ago …they’re made out of plastic and paper and they don’t even sparkle anymore … they’re so disliked that most fireworks stands give me away as freebees and they still cant get rid of a lot of them I’m not sure what you are talking about. Maybe it’s a regional thing? Sparklers here come on a metal wire and sparks shoot out in all directions. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/26 "2022-07-06T14:17:23Z")
Wow indeed. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/27 "2022-07-06T14:17:32Z")
We let our kids use the traditional metal wire sparklers. > [@BigT](#): > > I never really understood why there were so many tragedies with fireworks until last year, and my sister’s roommates were all about actually throwing them. We’d always had a healthy respect for them in my house and around everyone else I knew. Our neighbors had bit of an amateur fireworks display on the 4th. Even with “healthy respect” and basic precautions, at least one mortar exploded prematurely on the ground and a few rockets went off at unexpected angles. And a lot of people don’t even take basic precautions or (like your sister’s roommates) are insanely reckless. I mean do you really want to bet your fingers on quality assurance at the Chinese illegal fireworks factory? ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/28 "2022-07-06T18:27:23Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Wow That’s all kinds of stupid. I want to see the look on his insurance agent’s face when he tells them he stacked a bunch of fireworks at the rear of his car and accidentally set them all off. > [@msmith537](#): > > We let our kids use the traditional metal wire sparklers. For some reason, I thought your kids were in the barely walking ages. When I had sparklers when I was little (nine kids in my family) we were always living in the boonies so we had a bucket of water you were supposed to toss used sparklers into. It still seemed like people stepped on one every year, tho that’s probably just mixed up memories. > [@BigT](#): > > I never really understood why there were so many tragedies with fireworks until last year, and my sister’s roommates were all about actually throwing them. We did that all the time when I was a kid, even with Cherry Bombs and Silver Salutes. I had regular firecrackers, Black Cats back then, go off in my hand a couple of times and all I got was temporary numb fingers. Do kids still tell the stories about how a “friend at a different school” blew up the plumbing by dropping a Cherry Bomb down the toilet and flushing it? Joy ensued because everyone got the rest of the day off school. I must have heard that story a thousand times when I was a kid. For those that don’t know, Cherry Bombs and Silver Salutes would work underwater, which led to a lot of creative tests with cans/buckets of water. > [@msmith537](#): > > I mean do you really want to bet your fingers on quality assurance at the Chinese illegal fireworks factory? You’d think adults would understand this by now, but it seems that’s never going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/29 "2022-07-06T18:39:19Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Do kids still tell the stories about how a “friend at a different school” blew up the plumbing by dropping a Cherry Bomb down the toilet and flushing it? My BIL actually did this when he was in high school. The Cherry Bomb exploded while still in the bowl and blew the toilet to smithereens. He got caught and was suspended for 3 days, which was a light sentence compared to the one he received from his Dad. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/30 "2022-07-06T18:55:31Z")
Aha! He’s probably one of those people that everyone hates because they don’t flush the toilet. This is just another reminder to flush when you’re done. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/31 "2022-07-06T19:27:49Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > He’s probably one of those people that everyone hates because they don’t flush the toilet Oh, he flushed the toilet. But the bomb had just made it down to the trap when it exploded. Caused quite a ruckus, I understand. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/32 "2022-07-07T01:34:19Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I mean do you really want to bet your fingers on quality assurance at the Chinese illegal fireworks factory? ⁢ That’s the point. With healthy respect, you don’t trust it. You don’t get where it could hit your fingers at all. You light the fuse with either a long lighter or those [punks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_(fireworks)). Then as soon as you light it, you get as far away as you can. Sure, I expect that there would still sometimes be freak accidents, but not as many as there always seem to be. That said, I do have to confess that I participated with sis’s roommates, lighting and throwing some smoke bombs on the street. I caved under the most minimal of pressure, which is why I suddenly understood how there could be so many accidents. I was quite glad it didn’t come up again this year. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/33 "2022-07-07T02:23:51Z")
I had some friends growing up who played around, with or without parental permission, with some heavy-duty fireworks, but none of them were ever injured that I recall. My parents let us run around with sparklers, especially at the beach, and I always loved those. These days I’m happy to go to pro fireworks displays, but have zero interest in handling any myself. The nights of July 3-4 are always very noisy here, including gunfire. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/34 "2022-07-07T04:04:52Z")
> **[Texas Man Dies After Lighting Firework on His Head While Celebrating Fourth...](https://www.complex.com/life/texas-man-dies-after-lighting-firework-on-his-head-july-4)** > > A 43-year-old man from San Antonio, Texas died after he set off a firework on his head while celebrating the Fourth of July this week, police said. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/35 "2022-07-07T15:30:39Z")
From that same article, an 11 year old Indiana boy was killed: > “I’ll never see my son again over a fucking firework,” said the boy’s mother, [Kyrra Lynn](https://www.facebook.com/kyrra.lynn.16), in a Facebook post shared on Monday. “Don’t ever think it can’t happen to yours.” In an interview with [WXIN-TV](https://fox59.com/indiana-news/child-dies-after-fireworks-incident-in-mount-vernon/), she described the accident that caused his death as “a tragic freak accident,” and said he “died being a boy and playing with fireworks.” If you click on her name you can see her Facebook page. Her description on that page may be TMI for some so I’ll spoiler this. He died of a head injury, I guess. Why you’d let an 11 year old handle something that powerful I don’t understand. I held my sons broken skull & brain in my hands last night yall.! THATS THE REALITY! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/36 "2022-07-07T15:55:12Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I mean do you really want to bet your fingers on quality assurance at the Chinese illegal fireworks factory? [![](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3cd367032d3edec55b8f779c488a3819/tumblr_myoxw4OKEv1r3ws1ro2_1280.jpg) ](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3cd367032d3edec55b8f779c488a3819/tumblr_myoxw4OKEv1r3ws1ro2_1280.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/37 "2022-07-07T17:32:53Z")
Really wish they’d stop describing these as “accidents.” 99% of these cases were pure _negligence_. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/38 "2022-07-08T22:57:22Z")
Whaddaya want, we should play Revolutionary War dressup and read the Declaration of Independence out loud instead?? ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2022, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/39 "2022-07-08T23:16:41Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Really wish they’d stop describing these as “accidents.” 99% of these cases were pure _negligence_. In the sense that an 11 year old expected result A from action B and got something different, I guess it was an accident? Looking at her page I see that they’re fundraising for the funeral expenses etc. Sorry, it all seems so Darwinian to me. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393/40 "2022-07-11T17:09:52Z")
Kids misusing fireworks may have been the cause of a garage fire in Kankakee, IL, Saturday night. > **[Separate fires cause thousands in damage](https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/separate-fires-cause-thousands-in-damage/article_f2805d76-0060-11ed-a1d9-8fcfc73d701d.html)** > > Investigators are looking into the cause of a fire Sunday night at an abandoned house in the 800 block of North Chicago Avenue. It was the third structure fire since [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/be-careful-out-there-fireworks-mishaps-2022-edition/967393.md?page=3)