Hospitals See Spike in Injuries on July 4 Holiday
With the July 4 holiday coming up, hospital emergency rooms will see a spike in patients. In fact, July 4 and 5 are the highest daily numbers of emergency room patients of the entire year. The biggest reason for the July 4 spike, no surprise, fireworks. On average, more than half of all the fireworks-related injuries Americans sustain occur during the first eight days of July. The most common types of firework injuries are heat burns (38%), bruises and abrasions (19%) and cuts(15%). Males under age 30 make up the vast majority of these injuries, with 61% of injuries being in males, and 66% being involved in people under 30. Injuries to eyes and faces happen most frequently, followed by hands and fingers. The good news is, in 83% of cases, patients are either treated at the ER and released, or released without treatment.
Be safe and enjoy the holiday!