Posted on 07/04/17
| News Source: WBAL
A local doctor says he will likely see several patients as a result of people shooting off illegal fireworks this holiday.
Dr. Raymond Pensy is a hand surgeon at Shock Trauma. He says by the time he gets involved in the process after a person is injured they usually end up losing their hand or part of their hand.
Pensy, like other medical experts and state officials, are reminding Marylanders to go to professional fireworks displays instead of shooting off fireworks in the backyard of your home.
Some sparklers can also cause injuries like severe burns.
Pensy says some of the sparklers can be as hot as arc welders and reach temperatures hotter than 2000 degrees.
"Those injuries are more common. Even though the burns can range anywhere from a simple sunburn to a full thickness burn through and through the skin," says Dr. Pensy.
Pensy says he can't overstate how severe and devastating injuries from a firework going off in a hand can be.
He says some of his patients regain some use of their hand, to do simple things. But he adds that some functions of the hand are "lost forever."
You can watch this PSA from Shock Trauma for more information about hand injuries from fireworks.