4th of July Safety – Aronberg & Aronberg

Happy 236th Birthday to the United States of America! And to everyone who will be celebrating it, we hope you have a wonderful day with family, friends, colleagues, etc. As you celebrate, please keep in mind that firework celebrations can get out of hand and can lead to some pretty deadly results. The dangers involved don’t just have to do with the explosive, celebratory fireworks, but they also have to do with the large crowds that gather to partake in the celebrations.

Let’s start with the obvious. Fireworks are dangerous! As beautiful and majestic as they are, with great celebration comes great responsibility. There are countless horror stories about children blowing their fingers off playing with fireworks. This leads into our first warning about July 4th celebrations: do not let children anywhere near fireworks! Sure, they can enjoy them from afar, but to let them in close proximity of the fireworks is playing with fire (so to speak). Another precaution that you can take when trying to safely enjoy your July 4th celebration is to make sure that an adequate amount of water is kept in close proximity to the fireworks show. This water could be via a fire hydrant, a well, a hose connection, etc. Having water close-by ensures that should a fire break out as a result of a defective firework, the damages can be minimized.

It is important to take note of the fact that the people lighting the actual fireworks must be highly skilled professionals. Your teenage son who says that he watched a YouTube tutorial video on lighting fireworks probably shouldn’t be trusted to perform the job in a safe manner. Furthermore, the person who is lighting the fireworks should certainly be wearing protective eyewear (goggles, for instance). When the firework is lit, and shoots up into the air, shards of plastic and other harmful mayerials tend to spew all over the place—and if the eyes are left unprotected, the shards can land in the eyes and cause severe—even permanent—damage.

Obviously, anyone putting on a fireworks show for the expressed purpose of entertaining a crowd of people has a responsibility to maintain a safe environment. If you attend your neighbor’s July 4th party, and their fireworks aren’t managed professionally, and you get injured, your neighbor might very well be liable for any damages you suffered as a result of their negligent handling of the fireworks. Per this common sense rule, it’s best to only attend firework shows operated by professionals (and to avoid putting on a fireworks show if you’re not a professional).

Finally, the fireworks aren’t the only weapons involved. Large crowds of people (often consuming alcohol) can lead to people getting injured. Our law firm currently represents the estate of a man who was killed when he was hit and killed by a car while he was crossing the street at a July 4th celebration in Altamonte Springs, Florida. The high congestion of celebratory—and often more-reckless-than-usual—individuals, on foot and in vehicles, presents a prime scenario for distraction to rum rampant, for negligence to occur, and for people to get hurt.

We hope that you enjoy your July 4th celebrations in a memorable and safe fashion. Should something unfortunate occur, and you are injured as a result, please contact us at 561-266-9191 or at daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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