My teenage boy suffered horror injuries from fireworks - here's why they should be banned

What was intended to be a joyful family event turned into a harrowing experience for a family. During their private Bonfire Night celebration in 2022 chaos ensued when an ill-fated firework display went awry.

Natalie Ridings, a healthcare assistant in critical care, and her husband had organised the display for their two sons. As their father ignited the fireworks, danger quickly surfaced.

With the boys by their mothers side, rockets began to fly in all directions. As Natalie screamed for them to run a firework struck her eldest son before exploding.

Natalie recounted the terrifying moment, saying: "My husband lit the firework and as he walked away, I realised something was wrong. It started firing out through the sides instead of straight up and I screamed at my family to run, it was one of the big 15-shooter boxes you can buy from supermarkets so the fireworks exiting it were sizeable. As he ran away one of them struck my eldest and it exploded on him as it would do in the sky."

This incident tragically left their 13-year-old son with severe burns. If not for Natalie's immediate response and medical expertise, the injuries could have been even more catastrophic.

"His hands took most of the impact and his gloves began to melt onto him, although if he wasn't wearing gloves he would have likely lost his fingers entirely," she detailed. "He pulled them off whilst letting out this kind of scream I'd never heard before and I rushed him upstairs and put him in a cool shower whilst we called 999. My youngest child just kept telling his brother 'don't die, don't die!'", reports the Manchester Evening News.

Natalie's son was then taken to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where he received treatment from the burns unit. She said: "His injuries were so bad I couldn't look at them properly.

"I only saw them in their fullest extent when he was given another shower at A&E to clean his wounds, the skin on his hands had melted and was full of bits of burnt gloves. He was so brave, we needed to keep visiting the hospital for months afterwards as they would take his skin off to ensure it would heal properly and didn't heal too tight. The pain was intense and he needed gas and air each time."

Two years later, Natalie's son's injuries have healed, though he "still bears the scars" from that night. However, he now suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is made worse around Bonfire Night.

"This time of year is obviously very difficult, but even thunderstorms can give him flashbacks and panic attacks - it has been a tough journey," she explained. For the latest health and Covid news, sign up to our newsletter here

Natalie has issued a heartfelt plea to other parents about the perils of private Bonfire Night celebrations and is calling for a ban on fireworks. She shared her harrowing experience. She said: "The stigma is that people get injured by fireworks because they were messing around, and we have had to deal with that, but the truth is anybody can be horribly injured even if they did everything correctly.

"Having seen what can happen, I wish fireworks were banned. They are so dangerous and it's not worth the worst that can happen. I understand why people want them, as we previously enjoyed them too, but they can go wrong and, when they do, cause irreversible damage."

As families opt for home displays amidst rising cost-of-living pressures and fewer public events, experts are raising alarms over the increased dangers. Medics at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital have witnessed a surge in firework-related injuries and stress the importance of safety measures to prevent such accidents.

Sam McNally, Consultant Burn Surgeon at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which operates the Burns Unit at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, noted a worrying rise in firework-related burns injuries in recent times. She said: "We see around 20 firework burn injuries a year, a significant number are deep burns requiring surgery and skin grafting.

"This leaves the child with scarring from the original injury and the skin graft donor site, both of which can take weeks to heal - especially if there is a wound infection. It means multiple trips to hospital for dressings which can be painful and distressing."

"Whilst the injuries are the most serious element, families also have to count the cost of days lost at work for parents and the missed days of school for the children. The children often go on to require treatment with pressure garments to optimise their scarring, this can go on for two years after the initial acute treatment is complete and the wounds have healed.

"In addition, the psychological impact of these injuries can lead to complex problems with anxiety or PTSD, requiring specialist psychological support from our Burns Psychology Team. The size of the injuries varies, but the impact on peoples' lives is forever in terms of the scaring and the potential psychological impact."

Theresa Coucill, Burns Discharge Co-ordinator at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, offered crucial advice for immediate treatment of burns from fireworks or bonfires, saying: "If any clothing is caught alight the first thing to do is to extinguish the flame by completing the Stop, Drop and Roll advise that is given out by our colleagues in the Fire Service. Next is to cool the burn to help stop the 'burning process', this gives the injured person a better chance of not sustaining a significant burn or reducing the risk of the burn going deeper.

"This is done in three steps, or as we call them, 'the 3 Cs'; First, cool the burn with running cool tap water for 20 minutes and remove all clothing and jewellery. Second, call 999 for help. Finally, cover with cling film or a sterile, non-fluffy dressing or cloth. Do not apply any ointments or home remedies and keep the injured person warm."

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