FEWER fireworks were lit in Pangasinan this New Year but the revelry still ended in pain and tragedy to some people, mostly children.

Ten year old Jeffrey Malong of barangay Bangsal, Sta. Barbara, was rushed by an ambulance to the Region 1 Medical Center at 10:00 a.m. Thursday after he kicked an unexploded powerful firecracker he picked up at 7:00 a.m.

Another passive user, Jerome Loresco, 7, of Manaoag, who also picked up a firecracker at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, was scheduled for possible amputation in his left hand.

The third serious case, Jun Cruz, 11, of San Jacinto, may have his right hand amputated too after it was hit by a dart bomb at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Canto said Malong, Loresco and Cruz were injured after the New Year revelry.

The two victims of stray bullets were Gerald Rosales, 10 of Bautista; and Dante Villafania, 51, of Sta. Barbara.

Dr, Michael Canto, Medical Specialist II and spokesperson of R1MC, said there were 43 victims of firecrackers treated from December 21 to 12:00 noon of January 1 as compared to 65 that were recorded from December 21, 2007 to January 5, 2008.

The number excluded two persons treated at RIMC for gunshot wounds by stray bullets on December 22 and 23, Canto said.

“We had listed 43 and we are still counting till January 5,” Canto said.

Quoting the doctor who checked on Malong, Canto said it looked like the boy’s two hands would be amputated and his right eye would have to undergo a medical procedure called nucleation, and might have to be removed eventually.

Canto defined a reveler as an active user if one lit firecrackers.

Malong was the most serious among the cases treated at R1MC this year.

There were also 12 persons treated by R1MC for vehicular accidents and nine others for mauling, all related to the revelry. –LM

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