A ‘life sentence’ after a July 4th accident

This is a tough time of year for Glenda Lynch who lives
in Snohomish. She lost her son Shane in an accident
involving fireworks.

“Every Fourth of July I face the painful reminders and
memories of the death of my son Shane,” she says.

Shane, at age 13, died from legal fireworks several
years ago.

He was with his dad at a back-yard fireworks show.
Shane took his turn loading mortars into a launch tube.

It exploded in his face.

“The impact shattered his forehead, cracked his skull
in half and burned most of his brain. We had to take him
off life support,” Lynch says.

Since then, she’s become an advocate for fireworks
safety.

She’s learned that “just because they’re legal, doesn’t
mean they’re safe.”

Along with his smiling school photo, Lynch shared a
photo from her son’s hospital room, that she wanted me to
include in this story, to make the point that fireworks
are deadly.

The Washington State Patrol reports there were 476
fireworks-related injuries and fires in 2011. Of the 476
reports received, there were 264 fires and 212 injuries.
The majority of these incidents occur on July 4th and most
incidents were caused by young men between the ages of 15
and 21.

Of the accidents last year, 89 residential fires
resulted in more than $5.3 million in losses, and 15 of
those were caused by illegal devices, while 9 were caused
by legal fireworks.

“Writing an obituary and deciding on a casket or
cremation are not decisions you want to face over the
Fourth of July,” says Lynch.

“You don’t want to know what it feels like to miss your
child. It’s the most painful life sentence. My gift to
you is to educate-share to prevent other children from
getting hurt. Children are important and require guidance
and protection. I pray the emergency rooms are empty this
year.”

Resources:

State Fire
Marshal on fireworks safety and injury prevention

National
Council on Fireworks Safety

Find a safe firework show to
attend

By LINDA THOMAS

AP file photo