Independence Day is a great reason to have fun with friends and play with some interesting explosives.
But the old adage "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" couldn't be more appropriate.
Over the holiday weekend, I saw so many explosions it's a wonder I didn't go blind or deaf. Everywhere I turned, someone was setting off a firecracker, bottle rocket or artillery shell.
It was a fun weekend, to be sure, but it didn't go without injury.
In LaPorte, about 25 miles west of South Bend, a man set off a firework in a crowded Kmart parking lot, injuring several children. Their injuries weren't even from the explosion, but a resulting fire.
In Fulton County, 70 miles west of Fort Wayne, a teenager tried to throw a firework out of a car window, but it flew back in.
I'm sure seeing a firework fly back into your car is terrifying. But when that firework sets off all your other fireworks sitting in the car, it's not just a scary moment. It's potentially deadly.
Those teens lived, but not without a few burns and a ruined car.
Normally, when people receive minor injuries from drunkenness or their own stupidity, I sit back and giggle. This year was different, though.
Sunday night, I went over to a friend's house and set off a few fireworks.
Most of the night went off without incident, but we had a few close calls. One artillery shell didn't leave the mortar tube, which means it blew up within about 15 feet of where we were sitting. Multiple times, sparks flew close to cars but didn't cause any major damage.
When the Roman candles came out, though, our stupidity took over. We decided to recreate a wand duel from Harry Potter. It was fun for a while — until tragedy struck.
The sparks flying out of the Roman candles were fizzling out at least five feet before they hit us, so we figured we would be OK to keep shooting them. What we didn't take into account is the variations of the powder in the explosive little sticks.
As cheesy as it sounds, I saw fireworks as a spark flew directly at my face. I stood stoic, as the other fire bursts had stopped long before they reached me. But this one didn't. At the last second, I turned my head, saving myself from losing an eye.
The firework still hit me in the face, but only singed off some hair from my developing beard. Whiffs of burnt hair reminded me throughout the night of the nearly disfiguring event.
I can't even imagine receiving serious injuries from a firework. The power behind explosions is nothing to mess with, as I quickly found out Sunday evening.
Until now, fireworks safety has always been something that nags in my ear, much like a mother telling their child not to drive too fast or always lock the door. That firework flying at my face transformed from a nagging mother to an atomic siren in a moment's notice.
I have always kept the safety of others in mind when celebrating with explosives. But from now on I will consider my own safety more strongly when I shoot off fireworks.
Or at least until that spot in my beard grows back.
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