Holidays such as July the 4th are a time of celebration, and fireworks are par for the course. However, people who use them, particularly in Illinois where they have been outlawed, often get more than they bargained for. Instead of simply lighting them and watching them burst into a shower of lights in the sky, more and more people are becoming severely injured.
Many of these injuries are due to the fact that more fireworks are being created on the black market by manufacturers that do not follow the rules. Black market fireworks such as Roman candles and mortars are becoming a bigger danger in Illinois, and it is the residents here that are paying the price.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, approximately 2,000 people have been injured by fireworks in the last ten years. Many of those were injured in just the last two years, with 349 people injured in 2017 and 307 injured the year prior.
And when it comes to fireworks, there is typically no such thing as a minor injury. In 2017 Illinois hospitals treated 16 injuries that involved dismemberment or amputation. Most firework injuries affect the hands, eyes, and face, as these are often the closest to the firework.
The only way to reduce the amount of injuries it seems, is for law enforcement officials to find the black market manufacturers and press charges against them.
“Many assume that because these manufacturers deal in the black market, they are untouchable,” says Michael McCready of McCready, Garcia & Leet, P.C., “but that is not true. As manufacturers, and as lawbreakers, they need to be held responsible for causing these serious injuries that have a tremendous impact on the lives of consumers. They can be found, and they can be brought to justice.”
Finding these black market manufacturers and holding them responsible for causing serious injuries may be more important than ever. With more illegal fireworks being produced and brought into the state, more people are being hurt every year by fireworks that may not meet industry standards and are a danger to those that use them. If some of these black market dealers were to be found and charged, it may be a deterrent to others that want to create or bring illegal fireworks into the state.
