‘I LOST AN EYE WHEN FIREWORK EXPLODED’
A 24 year-old man has lost an eye after a firework rocket exploded in his face.
The horrific accident happened on Bonfire Night in the Llanedeyrn area of Cardiff.
Antony Barry was with a friend and his girlfriend on a patch of land at Roundwood setting off fireworks shortly before 7pm.
There were several children watching the fireworks when one went up and failed to explode before falling back to the ground.
Antony, from Ball Road, Llanrumney, said: “I went to move it after it fell back down because there were children around and I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to them.”
Speaking from his hospital bed at Cardiff’s UHW Hospital, he said doctors told him had the blast hit him two inches higher he could have suffered deadly head injuries.
He said: “I would do it again, I would go and move any firework I thought was in the way of children’s safety.
“I’ve lost my right eye but I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to a child with a firework.”
Antony was left with burns to his hands, suffering severe pain and unable to see through his right eye after the explosion.
He then waited 25 minutes for an ambulance before taking matters into his own hands and getting a friend’s dad to drive him to hospital.
Antony said: “I was just sat on the ground and couldn’t see anything out of my right eye and I was in so much pain.
“When we got to hospital I was rushed through to A&E and then had a two-and-a-half hour operation, after which I found out they had to remove my eye, they couldn’t save it.
“The back of my eyeball had split in the explosion which meant when they operated on me it just wasn’t possible to keep my eye. Also my eye socket was fractured too and I had minor burns on my hands.”
He remains in hospital for the foreseeable future, and is meeting with eye specialists.
Reflecting on the accident, Antony said: “I want my story to get out there to people.
“I want it to be a warning to others about the dangers of going back to a firework if it has not exploded.
“It’s dangerous, but, like I said, I only went back because of children there, I didn’t want them to be hurt.
“If children hadn’t been there then perhaps I would have thought twice and not gone back to the firework.
“Losing an eye is awful, but I could have been killed by it doctors said so I am thankful that I’m still alive after it all.”
Unemployed Antony added: “I don’t know how long I will have to be in hospital for but I know I am lucky to be here.”
Antony had been due to appear in court yesterday to be sentenced after pleading guilty to possession of an offensive weapon and of using threatening or insulting words and behaviour with an intent to cause fear but was unable to appear in court due to the firework incident.