If you've heard the tales from those that have worked the E.R. on the 4th, you just might agree that it's probably best to leave the fireworks to the professionals!
Those who have worked in the emergency room often see the same types of incidents every Independence Day, such as sunburns, poison ivy rashes, underage drinking, and fireworks injuries.
Although these types of incidents are very common, they've also treated some crazy out-of-the-ordinary cases as well! Here's a good one...
A trauma surgeon at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis said one year, the bomb squad had to be called in for one of the "craziest" cases she's ever seen on a Fourth of July weekend.
The incident involved the type of fireworks that were amongst the largest consumers could buy without needing a license. The fireworks were being lit at a backyard party when one of the explosive mechanisms, a metal ball about four inches in diameter - misfired.
Instead of launching the firework into the air, the metal ball came out of the side of the firework and became lodged inside the patient.
Since the explosive did not detonate, it still had the potential to explode, so the bomb squad had to be present during the man's emergency surgery to remove it.
The surgeon had to reassure everyone in the operating room, "They're here to protect us and ensure that this thing doesn't go off after we've removed it."
(I don't know about you, but that wouldn't offer me much reassurance..."
As soon as the explosive device was removed from the man's body, doctors "very carefully" handed it to the bomb squad, who then disposed of it safely.
The surgeon stated, "This stuff is so crazy sometimes - what we do and see, you just can't even make it up!"
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