An Australian man sustained burn wounds after a firework exploded in his face prompting paramedics to issue warning over setting off illegal fireworks for New Year's Eve. The footage of the freak accident showed a ball of fire bursting as the man and his friend tried to light the firework.
The accident happened on Christmas Eve in Sydney. The video showed two unidentified men trying to ignite the firework in the middle of a road as bystanders tried to warn them.
"Move your face! Move your f***ing face," one of the onlookers shouted, according to the video that was first obtained by 7News. However, one of the men continued to lean close to the firework to light it following which it exploded in his face.
Both were hospitalized following the horrific accident that triggered warning over illegal fireworks from paramedics — especially ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations.
"These are explosive devices that are in people's hands that can do a lot of damage which can lead to death," a spokesperson for New South Wales Ambulance told 7News. "So, let's leave it to the experts."
Christie Marks, NSW Ambulance duty operations manager, warned of "significant damage" due to fireworks if handled incorrectly.
"What people don't realize is that they are potentially holding an explosive device in their hands when they light a firework. If handled incorrectly, it can cause significant damage to yourself or your loved ones, or some instances may lead to death," Marks told Daily Mail Australia. "This is something that really needs to be left to the professionals – it is just not worth the risk to put yourself or anyone else in danger. We would prefer people to try and prevent accidents rather than put themselves or others in danger with irresponsible actions."
The incident came as the Australian Medical Association called on the NSW Government to cancel New Year's Eve fireworks in Sydney owing to the spike in Covid-19 cases in the state. Dr Michael Bonning, Chairman of the Australian Medical Association NSW Division, warned that largescale events like New Year's Eve fireworks were "difficult to police and patrol." He also empathised with the NSW police and emergency workers who worked to bring the Covid-19 cases under control.
"Do we really need to pull them away to manage the fireworks as well?" Dr. Bonning said.
