Just a Mater of Time.

National statistics indicate injuries related to fireworks — legal or illegal — have remained steady. In 2004, an estimated 9,600 people were injured in fireworks-related accidents in injuries mostly clustered around the Fourth of July. Three-quarters of those hurt were male and about 40% were children, many burned by sparklers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the highest rate of injury is to boys 10 to 14.Last year, eight people died of fireworks-related injuries nationwide, including a 45-year-old Bakersfield man killed by a homemade shrapnel device set off at a block party.