NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — America's birthday is right around the corner. Parties and barbecues are already planned across the country for Independence Day but also around the holiday, emergency hospital staff expect more patients to come in the door.
“It does start to get busier around the holidays, even the days before,” said Dr. Imran Kabir, an emergency medicine physician with Riverside Regional Medical Center.
Around the Fourth of July, medical professionals like Dr. Kabir start to see an array of injuries like insect and tick bites. “We also see an uptick of automotive accidents, for water-related injuries such as drownings, as well as foodborne illness.”
Dr. Kabir said the most obvious around this time are fireworks injuries.
“These can range from burns to eye injuries. The loss of fingers and even the loss of hands in severe cases,” he said. "I've seen everything from third and fourth-degree burns. Personally, I've seen a few cases where people have lost fingers."
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 9,700 people were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks injuries last year. Eight people died. Of those eight reported fatalities, one was in Virginia, according to the Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office. Roughly 800 treated injuries were associated with firecrackers and 700 with sparklers.
Dr. Kabir said some of his colleagues have experienced many other frightening stories.
"I have a story from one of my co-residents," he said. "There was a couple that was getting ready for the Fourth of July and they actually left fireworks in the back of their car. As they were driving, they went to a destination, they got out of the car. I guess the sunlight just hit one of the fireworks just right and all the fireworks actually went off in their car."
So, Dr. Kabir has some tips for properly storing and handling fireworks.
“Certainly, don’t point them at your family and friends," he said. "Of course, if you can avoid it, don’t be setting fireworks off in your own hand.”
Many localities prohibit the sale, possession, or use of all fireworks. The State Fire Marshal’s Office advises Virginians to check local ordinances as well as the Statewide Fire Prevention Code prior to purchasing and utilizing fireworks.
Dr. Kabir said during the summer months, there’s also an uptick in heat stroke and heat exhaustion. He said to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, take breaks in the shade, and avoid strenuous activities in the sun.
He adds drownings are the number one cause of childhood deaths during the summer. He advises parents to keep an eye on children when they're swimming. He said it's also important to have a swimming buddy.