A Mililani resident is calling for a total ban on fireworks after her grandson lost his pinky finger when an aerial blew up in his right hand on New Year’s Day.
"A life can be changed in a blink of an eye. A family can be shattered because of things like this. I want Hawaii to know we need to do something about it. We need to ban fireworks, period," said Ruth Luka Ramos, grandmother of Shadrach Ramos-Dias, 25.
At about 12:12 a.m. Wednesday, Ramos was celebrating New Year’s at her daughter’s home in Waianae when she saw her grandson holding the aerial. "I saw that he had something in his hand," she said. Ramos then saw something shooting up in the air from the aerial while he was holding it.
"I was about to tell him, ‘Shadrach, drop that bomb!’" she said.
Soon after Ramos yelled out his name, the aerial blew up and she saw a white flash, she said. She recalled screaming.
His hand was mangled, Ramos said.
A family member drove him to Waianae Coast Comprehensive Center. He was then transported to Queen’s Medical Center where he underwent surgery. Ramos said his pinky finger could not be reattached, and an orthopedic surgeon is working to save his thumb.
Her grandson remains hospitalized at Queen’s and is expected to find out after 10 days or so whether surgery to save his thumb was successful.
Along with severe injuries to his hand, Ramos-Dias suffered lacerations to the top of his head.
A basketball coach, Ramos-Dias is right-handed and an avid athlete. He was a noted basketball player at Kaimuki High School and also played football and basketball at San Jose City College.
A city ordinance that took effect in 2011 prohibits anyone under age 18 from handling fireworks, including sparklers and fountains. The law allows the purchase of firecrackers with a permit but bars the sale, purchase or use of other consumer fireworks including sparklers, fountains and "paperless" firecrackers.
Ramos said stricter laws are needed. "I would want a total ban," she said. "You never think it’s going to happen to your family," she said.
Honolulu Fire Capt. Terry Seelig has said injuries caused by aerial fireworks continue to be a nationwide problem.
Fireworks-related complaint calls increased as Oahu residents rang in 2014, but the number of citations issued went down, the Honolulu Police Department reported.
There were 730 fireworks-related calls made to the city’s 911 emergency line between Dec. 26 and Thursday, HPD said. That’s about 23 percent more than the 593 calls logged a year ago.
Officers issued 62 fireworks-related citations, a 22.5 percent drop from the 80 citations last year. There were no fireworks-related arrests this year, while one adult and one juvenile were arrested a year ago.
