Revellers celebrated bonfire night on 5/11&6/11 across the nation; however, in the SW London suburb of Richmond, a dangerous accident took place. According to eyewitness reports, a man in his mid-twenties was hit in the face with his own firework. The incident took place in Terrace Fields, overlooking the River Thames immortalized in the famous view painted by JW Turner in 1808. After heairng a boom at around 21:00 on Friday the 5th, staff at a nearby pub were quick to selflessly aide the man, by bringing ice and medical supplies, and by also carrying out instructions given by the 999 callers, before an ambulance arrived. Thankfully, the man injured has been confirmed to be recovering, with his vision hopefully not impaired. This is just one of many fireworks related injuries caused annually on bonfire night, asking the question, do we do enough to protect people from fireworks? In the United Kingdom, fireworks are limited to sale between 7am and 11pm with exceptions on Bonfire Night, New Years, Chinese New Years and Diwali celebrations. They also cannot be sold privately except around these holidays and can only be bought by those over eighteen. A student representative commented “It’s fair enough, but we need better education and safety instructions.”. Hopefully next year, better safety measures will be implemented to ensure these incidents become a thing of the past.
YOUNG REPORTER
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