Another fireworks-popping holiday is approaching, and a local emergency room doctor urges you to play it safe this July 4th. LSU Health Shreveport Emergency Medicine Clinical Associate Professor Thomas Swoboda says this holiday and New Year's are the two biggest for fireworks-related injuries.

Dr. Swoboda says he predominantly sees burn injuries to people who were handling fireworks incorrectly...but he has seen someone lose fingers, too. He says that person was holding a bottle rocket by the stick, and the flame hit two of his fingers. Parts of them ended up having to be cut off.

Some of the burn injuries he's seen were because children were handing sparklers, and got them too close to their skin or clothing.

His recommendations? Stay sober while handling fireworks, NEVER hold them in your hand while lighting them, follow the instructions on the package...and always keep a bucket of water handy to extinguish them when you're done. That'll keep you from having to visit him in the ER.

I'll have more with Dr. Swoboda on tomorrow morning's KEEL Morning News program.

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