Disarmed by Fireworks

This Fourth of July, please please please leave the fireworks to the professionals. Here's why:

Suffolk County police say 36-year-old Eric Smith was using a 3-foot long metal tube to shoot mortars from the street near his Islip (EYE'-slip) Terrace home around 5:45 p.m. Saturday.
Police believe he leaned over the device to ignite it and didn't get out of the way before an explosive shot out of the launcher. His left arm was severed at the shoulder.

Link - via Fark

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@Vonskippy

How the heck does someone break their leg in a folding chair?

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I believe the doctor said Eric was going to be 'all right'.

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Anti-Fireworks PSA's are just like anti-Drug PSA's.

For every horror story, there are hundreds, thousands, millions of safe use stories about how much fun it was.

Besides, we had a guy at our town fireworks show break his leg in a folding chair. So do we ban fireworks or folding chairs?

Anyone with a brain will understand the inherent danger of playing with stuff that basically burns and or explodes. Only the stupid, clumsy, or terminally unlucky will have problems with it.

Think of it like Xmas for Darwin - everyone needs a holiday.

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When I was 12 my stupid 11 year old brother and his two friends thought it would be hilarious to tie one of those spinning fireworks to the top of his tennis shoe and set it off. It melted his shoe and spiraled down through his foot down to the bone. He had severe burns and had to be flown to a hospital for several weeks. He has a huge scar and some loss of function in his foot.

Fireworks are explosives. Leave them to the professionals.