Bolton mum wants firework ban after gloves melt onto son's hand

The family had gathered to enjoy a private firework display.

Her son was struck when a box firework blew out its sides, firing rockets in multiple directions with one exploding upon impact with the teenager.

She said:“It was a horrific thing to go through, 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.”

The explosion burnt her son below the waist and all over both of his hands. As a health care assistant in critical care herself, Natalie’s quick thinking meant his injuries were prevented from getting worse.

(Image: NHS) READ MORE: Bolton's bonfire and firework displays taking placeFi

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She said: “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.

"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!’.

“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.

“The staff at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital’s Burns Service were amazing with us, every single staff member was so caring and compassionate.

"When we first came to them, there was no judgment about how a young lad had been injured by a firework, as we had experienced elsewhere, and they always went out their way to make the whole recovery process easier.

“His injuries have now healed, although he still bears the scars and they can feel uncomfortable. He must moisturise them and can’t write with a pen for too long before it hurts. The longest health implication is actually the PTSD he suffers with. This time of year is obviously very difficult, but even thunderstorms can give him flashbacks and panic attacks - it has been a tough journey.

“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.”

Experts from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital have shared the often life-changing injuries they have seen come through their doors and their advice on how they can be avoided.

Sam McNally, Consultant Burn Surgeon at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, who run Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital’s Burns Unit, said they have seen an increase in firework-related burns injuries in recent years.

“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.”

The injuries he sustained (Image: NHS)

Experts from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital have shared the often life-changing injuries they have seen come through their doors and their advice on how they can be avoided.

Sam McNally, Consultant Burn Surgeon at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, who run Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital’s Burns Unit, said they have seen an increase in firework-related burns injuries in recent years.

“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.”

(Image: NHS) Theresa Coucill, burns discharge co-ordinator at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital said: “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.”