2014's Fireworks Claim Meteorologist's Left Eye, Dozens of Digits
The chief meteorologist for WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan lost his left eye in a serious fireworks accident this past weekend while he and his family were on vacation in Iowa. Dave Rexroth will undergo surgery this week and "begin the process of receiving a prosthetic eye," according to his employer.
The accident is just one of the dozens of reports filed across the country documenting the annual tradition of Americans losing body parts in celebration of our country's birth.
- A Detroit man died when a firework exploded and shrapnel caused a fatal wound to his chest.
- A fireworks display in Comanche, Texas exploded last Thursday, killing one person and injuring four others.
- A collection of fireworks exploded inside a Florida home, killing a woman and seriously injuring her son.
- Four people were seriously injured in San Francisco after fireworks exploded on or near them. One man sustained serious eye injuries, while three others saw lost digits or, in one man's case, lost both of his hands.
- A firework accident in Ohio resulted in a man losing his foot at the ankle.
- A Maryland boy sustained "critical burns" after a sparkler ignited his shirt.
- An unidentified New Hampshire man received "severe hand injuries" as a result of a firework.
The news reports fail to mention the countless number of fresh fruits destroyed in the fruitless effort that safety officials put forth every year to warn Americans of the dangers that fireworks pose.
[Image via AP | h/t Stephen Uzick]
