Surefire Ways to Avoid Fireworks Injuries Independence Day means celebrations and picnics. It also means injuries from fireworks. Small fireworks and sparklers cause most of these injuries. A sparkler is not a child’s toy. Sparklers burn at temperatures that can melt metal. The best way to prevent injuries is to leave fireworks to the professionals. Watch from a safe distance. Be aware of these six common fireworks injuries, and what to do in case of an accident.
A burned hand or finger is the most common injury from fireworks. A minor burn causes redness and pain. More serious burns cause blisters. The most serious burns cause white leathery skin and damage under the skin. Don’t let children use fireworks. Never pick up a firework that has not gone off. If you do light fireworks, keep water close by in case of fire. Minor burns can be treated by cleaning and over-the-counter pain medicine. All other burns need emergency treatment.
Water is vital to human life—so much so that we can’t go more than a few days without it. About 60% of your body is made up of water. On average, men need to drink about 3 liters—more than three-quarters of a gallon—of fluids every day to stay fully hydrated. Women need about 2.2 liters—more than half a gallon—of fluids a day. (The water in foods also counts toward that total fluid intake.) When your body gets less water than it needs, you may start noticing early dehydration effects, such as dry mouth, extreme thirst, infrequent urination, or dark urine. With severe dehydration, however, the symptoms can become dangerous and even life-threatening.
Water serves many purposes in the body, and without enough fluids, your body can’t function correctly. Among the many things water does in the body:
Without water, many problems—sometimes extremely serious ones—can develop in the body. Mild dehydration can typically be treated just by drinking more water, but moderate and severe dehydration isn’t so easily treated and can pose a danger to your health. Severe dehydration is a life-threatening emergency and requires immediate treatment by a medical professional. The most serious dangers of dehydration include:
If you’ve been experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, you have a high risk of becoming dehydrated. Not drinking enough water on a hot day or while exercising, or even just a high fever, can cause dehydration. Young children and elderly people are most likely to experience dehydration. It’s especially important to watch for symptoms of dehydration in babies because they can’t tell you they’re thirsty. Symptoms of dehydration in babies include:
To prevent dehydration, make sure babies are drinking enough breast milk or other fluids, especially if they have diarrhea. In general, infants up to 6 months old getting adequate fluids should gain 5 to 7 ounces a week, and infants 6 to 12 months about 4 ounces a week. Although infant weight gain is variable, weight loss or no weight gain may be a sign of dehydration and requires prompt medical evaluation.
In adults, good prevention methods include making sure other health conditions, such as diabetes, are under control and eating foods with high water content, like fruits and veggies. And everyone should be drinking plenty of fluids when out in hot weather and when exercising.
The Schmidt Salita Law Team handles cases involving car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian car accidents, and bicycle accidents. It has many years of experience in workers’ compensation, product liability, and medical malpractice cases.
The Schmidt Salita Law Team has extensive experience with concussion injuries, traumatic brain injuries, neck and back injuries, whiplash injuries, broken bones, injured joint injuries (knee, hip, shoulder, wrist, ankle, spinal), amputation injuries, and vision and eye injuries.
The Schmidt Salita Law Team has offices throughout the State of Minnesota. Its primary location is at Ridgedale Office Center in Minnetonka, near the intersection of I394 and I494. The offices are handicap accessible with ample parking.
The firm offers contingent fee agreements (You don’t pay lawyers fees until you collect them, and then only as a percentage of the settlement). It also offers home and hospital visits to clients whose injuries present difficulty in coming to the office.
The Schmidt Salita Law Team has locations throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Osseo, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Brooklyn Center, Fridley, Blaine, Shoreview, Woodbury, Falcon Heights, Columbia Park, Stillwater, Hastings, Inver Grove, Cottage Grove, South St. Paul, Apple Valley, Eagan, Burnsville, Savage, Shakopee, Richfield, Bloomington, Chaska, Chanhassen, Edina, Eden Prairie, and Hopkins.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Dean M. Salita, with more than 30 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney.
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