Updated at 6:36 a.m., Sunday, January 20, 2008
New Year's firework injuries up 14 percent
Advertiser Staff
The number of fireworks injuries over the New Year period increased by 14 percent from last year, the State Department of Health announced.This year's 105 injuries, compared to 92 last year, is the second highest total in the eight years the Department of Health has been gathering this information.
According to the Hawai'i State Department of Health's Injury Prevention and Control Program, almost all patients were taken to the hospital via private transport and nearly all who were treated were discharged.
Only four patients required hospitalization.
Most of the increase was among patients in Honolulu County, from 66 injuries last year to 92 this year (a 39 percent increase). There were eight injuries reported from Hawai'i County, and five from Kaua'i, the highest total yet reported from that county. There were no injuries reported for Maui County, compared to 13 the previous New Year period.
Most (93 percent) of the injuries were burns, with hands and fingers being the most commonly affected parts of the body. The age of the victims ranged from infancy to 52 years, but two-thirds (68, or 67 percent) were under 18 years of age. Eight were under 5 years of age, and half (49, or 50 percent) were 6 to 14 years of age (age was not known for four victims).
Among children aged 2 through 14 years, there were more injuries (56) from fireworks during the three-day period, than in an average month from car crashes (42), assaults (21), poisonings (13), or pedestrian crashes (9).
