Fourth of July fun surpasses injuries

With Fourth of July celebrations ringing out for the better part of Wednesday night, the nurses and doctors at Harrison Medical Center had only a minimal amount of firework-related injuries.

Throughout the course of Wednesday’s celebration of Independence Day, only four individuals were taken to both Harrison Medical Center to be treated for burn-related injuries.

“The burn injuries (this year) are pretty typical,” said Harrison Medical Center Events and Outreach Specialist Rhonda Brown. “We had nothing reported this year that was (more than) burn injuries.”

The injuries from the Fourth of July this year were mostly first- or second-degree burns to extremities with a 67-year-old woman receiving a second-degree burn to the eye. The youngest person with a reported injury was a 13-year-old girl who was admitted with first- and second-degree burns to her neck.

Brown said typically, Harrison will see up to 10 burn injuries during the holiday. Although only four were reported Wednesday, Harrison will keep records of injuries throughout the weekend. She added that there were no bystander injuries this year, unlike in 2003, where injuries of lacerations, glass shards and dog bites were reported in addition to burn injuries.

Fourth of July 2003 saw 20 patients who were admitted to Harrison for holiday-related injuries, an overwhelming number compared to this year’s four.

“There were no third-degree burns which would require transportation to a different facility,” Brown added. “People will continue to (set off) fireworks.”

Although the injury count for this year’s Independence Day was low, nurses and doctors at Harrison continue to spread the message that “Fireworks are dangerous ... and should be left to the professionals.”

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