Dutch surgeons report 93 fireworks injuries, many severe, mostly young victims

Dutch plastic surgeons treated 93 fireworks victims this past New Year’s Eve, a sharp increase from the 62 patients reported last year, the Dutch Association for Plastic Surgery (NVPC) said.

Illegal fireworks caused about 75 percent of the injuries. Many of the injuries were severe, especially those to the hands, and a significant number of the victims were young.

Of the 93 victims, more than two-thirds were 18 years old or younger, and nearly all were male. In almost every case, the victim had set off the fireworks themselves; only 10 patients were bystanders.

“Unfortunately, we see that the worrying trend of more and increasingly severe fireworks injuries, already visible before New Year’s Eve, has continued unabated,” said plastic surgeon Annekatrien van de Kar.

The injuries were not limited to New Year’s Eve. Thirty percent of the patients were injured before December 30, and each year, victims continue to appear after January 1. Seventy-five percent of the patients required surgery.

“We are again seeing very severe injuries,” said plastic surgeon Ernst Smits. “This year, we had to amputate at least twelve nearly complete or fully complete hands. We also saw numerous finger amputations, bone fractures, and tendon injuries, often combined with burns and severe facial injuries. These types of injuries often have lasting consequences.”

The NVPC said it is closely monitoring developments in fireworks policy. “We hope that a nationwide fireworks ban starting next year will actually lead to significantly fewer victims and less severe injuries,” Van de Kar said. “For us as doctors, that would be the most important effect: fewer people with lasting damage from fireworks.”