Woman suing over injury at fireworks
Ash, chemicals flew into her eyes at Greenacres July 4th in 2014.
GREENACRES — Four years ago, on July 4, Theresa Taglione-Stroh and her husband, Craig, wanted to get out of their suburban Lake Worth home for the holiday night.
So, they headed to the “Ignite the Night” fireworks show at Community Park on Jog Road.
“It was so close to home,” Taglione-Stroh said. “We got there a little early and we were sitting about 10 feet behind the spectator line and just waiting for the fireworks.”
But something was about to happen.
Taglione-Stroh, a 57-year-old paralegal, felt a little weird once the show started.
“I never really saw a fireworks display like that,” she said. “There was a line of flaming fireworks that were planted into the ground and they were shooting fireworks above it, too.”
Then the wind blew. Taglione-Stroh saw a big cloud of ash. It hit her in the right eye — and hurt.
“My eyes felt like they were on fire,” she said. “Oh my God, I can’t even explain the pain.”
Embers from the fireworks lodged into her eye, burning a hole and blistering her right eye. Caustic chemical fireworks ash and debris was blown into both of her eyes, causing pain.
Taglione-Stroh turned to Craig and said, “Get me out of here!”
He took her by the hand and tried his best to find medical attention. They scoured the vendor section and saw no one.
“We were looking around for help and there wasn’t anything,”
she said. “No policemen, no EMT.”
They found a blood bank spot, but there were no emergency medical personnel on hand.
“We had to run down I don’t know how many blocks to the Greenacres Fire Department and started banging on the door because it was locked,” she said.
A police officer directing traffic, Taglione-Stroh said, called an ambulance, but they never showed up.
It took up to 35 minutes, Taglione-Stroh said, to get medical attention.
When the EMTs finally arrived, the paramedic said the reason Taglione-Stroh’s eyes were still hurting was because of all the chemicals in them.
Taglione-Stroh was taken to JFK Medical Center where she stayed for two hours.
“They tried getting all the ash and debris out,” she said. “They sent me home and said keep rinsing. There was still ash coming out of my eye the next morning.”
That was four years ago. Not much has changed.
“I still have problems with my eyes,” she said. “I still see an expert ophthalmologist and optometrist and now I have special glasses to read my computer and work.”
Craig Stroh said his wife of more than 30 years is always at the doctor.
“I feel so sorry for her,” he said. “It’s been a nightmare and changed our lives.”
She flied a claim in 2017, but Greenacres’ insurance carrier denied it, saying the city had no liability in the incident, according to Andrea McCue, Greenacres city manager.
“We haven’t looked into it any further,” McCue said. “As soon as we’re served, we’ll make sure we forward that to our insurance carrier.”
Taglione-Stroh hired Larry Faye, a Miami attorney, who filed a lawsuit this month against Greenacres and Zambelli Fireworks Manufacturing, the company that shot off the fireworks, as well as more than a dozen municipal and state agencies.
“We’re seeking damages,” Faye said. “She still has issues with her eyes, although most of the damage is in her right eye.”
Faye didn’t say how much he wanted, but the lawsuit said in excess of $15,000.
Zambelli had no comment, saying the matter is in the hands of the company’s insurance carrier, according to Sandy McStay, Zambelli’s human resources director.
Taglione-Stroh said the lawsuit took four years because she was unable to get a settlement during negotiations. “They didn’t want to talk or do anything about it in the city or the fireworks company, so we were left with no choice but to file a lawsuit,” she said.
Taglione-Stroh said her eyes are always in pain. She finds it hard to read. Her eyes swell.
“It impairs my social life and I don’t feel well enough to go out,” she said. “It hurts and lasts for days, sometimes weeks. It’s really scary.”