Firework blast injures boy (10)
10-year-old Karl Perkins who was injured in the mouth by debris following a firework blast outside his home.
A Dundalk boy was lucky not to have received more serious injuries when he was hit by debris sent flying by a firework as he celebrated his 10th birthday last week. Karl Perkins was playing outside his home at No. 18 Doolargy Avenue with a friend around 7pm last Wednesday.
A group of 12/13-year-olds were at a vacant house across from Karl's home, placing fireworks in the pillers of the driveway, and letting them off.
'They were putting the fireworks in the walls of the pillers to blow them up, and pieces were flying all over the place,' said Des Perkins, Karl's father.
'They let one (firework) off, and it hit him in the mouth.'
'He came running in, his mouth full of blood, screaming.'
When Mr. Perkins went out to investigate, the youngsters who had been letting off the fireworks ran away.
He immediately called the Gardai and an ambulance, and Karl was taken to the Lourdes Hospital, where they spent over three hours while he received attention.
As well as his mouth being injured, Karl's teeth were also damaged, and he will now have to receive reconstruction dental work for some time to come to put that right again.
'It was an awful fright,' said Mr. Perkins, adding that they were lucky Karl wasn't more badly injured considering that he was hit in the face.
Neighbours had complained to the Gardai regarding young people letting off fireworks in the area for some weeks now, and in the run-up to Hallowe'en they are fearful that it is going to get worse unless something is done to stop it.
Meanwhile, Gardai are set to target the cross border fireworks trade with checkpoints in the Dundalk area in the run up to Hallowe'en.
With the shrieking noise of fireworks going off in different parts of town on a nightly basis, the Hallowe'en seasons appears to be well and truly under way.
But despite their use as in the seasonal celebrations, gardai have issued warnings about the potential for fireworks to cause harm.
'They may seem like good fun, but the fact is they can be very dangerous in the wrong hands,' said a garda spokesman.
- Olivia RYAN
