The Fourth of July holiday is a time for celebrating the freedoms we enjoy in this country and thanking the men and women who make it all possible. Of course, it wouldn’t be the Fourth of July without fireworks. Most people love to set off fireworks to celebrate or go to their town’s local fireworks show to revel in the patriotic atmosphere. For the most part, these shows go off without a hitch, but it’s not uncommon to hear of events where a defective product turns a celebration into a medical emergency.
That’s what happened at the Fourth of July celebration of a small town near Vail, Colorado. Everyone was enjoying the show when, about 17 minutes in, the explosions got a little too close for comfort. A defective firework malfunctioned, exploding on the ground and sending shells into the crowd of 20,000. The burning hot debris flew through the onlookers, causing several injuries. In all, nine people were burned and had to receive medical treatment at the show. Thankfully, all of the burns were relatively minor considering the situation.
Through good fortune, no one was killed or permanently maimed, but many have been over the years. Many fireworks come from China and don’t undergo the scrutiny of as many regulations as you might imagine.
In a case like this, not only could the manufacturer be held financially responsible, the company responsible for the fireworks show could be as well.
The civil courts exist, in part, to help give injured people a way to recover compensation for things like medical expenses, funeral costs, loss of wages and pain and suffering. If you feel a defective product caused an injury, you may want to think about speaking with a Louisiana attorney.
Source: cnn.com, “Nine burned when ‘malfunctioning’ fireworks go into crowd,” Kevin Conlon, July 4, 2015
