Idiots with fireworks

[Michelle67]

Your vote for the #1 dumbest thing you've ever seen anybody do?

I have a couple, but I'll share one for now. It was a few years ago and we were at my parents house on the reservation, watching the fireworks guys blow up a goodly chunk of the leftovers (great show, albeit chaotic) when the drunk neighbors next door decided it would be a great idea to put their fountains on the roof of their car. They whooped and hollered and ran around the car in the shower of sparks having a grand ole time. The next day the owner of the car was heard to say, "Dude, we seriously ***** up my car..." Nah...ya think?

 

[YodaGirl]

Growing up, my brother loved firecrackers. One year, he was lighting them off of a candle and throwing them. After doing this several times, he out another one. This time, he got distracted by a conversation. He forgot that he had a lit firecracker in his hand until it went off. Seriously, who just forgets to throw a firecracker? Lol. Thankfully, it didn't do any damage, and the only side effect was that he was much more careful after that.

Luckily, they weren't nearly as strong as the ones that my dad played with growing up...

 

[KGlo]

My neighbor is one of those idiots who spends tons of money every year on the big boy fireworks and then sets them off in the middle of the street. Every year the police pay him a visit and let him go with a warning. Three years ago he once again was in the street letting one off and the stand thing tipped over and the firework goes flying off into my garage and goes off in my garage. I'm lucky the idiot didn't burn my whole damn house down. And they wonder why we don't like them!

 

[shortbun]

Mid seventies, my friend allowed a real firecracker to explode while holding it in his mouth. There was damage.
Is it necessary to say there were drugs involved?

 

[Disney Doll]

There's always a few burns and missing fingers etc. in the ER this time of year.

There's no pill that cures stupid.

 

[aprilgail2]

There's always a few burns and missing fingers etc. in the ER this time of year.

There's no pill that cures stupid.

friend of mine lost his arm last year lighting fireworks-mortar went off before he got away and it blew his arm clear off.

 

[Andtototoo]

The last time we went to local fireworks and it will become clear why it was the last time:

Small-town 4th of July. Beer tent open all day. No local bans on fireworks. We sit down in the designated viewing area. Family behind us of mother, father and 3 kids. Father is seriously drunk, blathering about how he loves the 4th because he can drink all day, because "That's what freedom is about!" Father sets off firecracker. Which hits me in the arm.

 

[Diznygrl]

When I was a kid, I was at a friend's house and for some reason or another we were allowed to set off fireworks in the street with no supervision. Anyway we were doing those ones that sit on the ground and spin really fast while changing colors, and my friend decides she wants to know what would happen if you lit it and then threw it in the air. ZOOOOOOM! That's what happens. Luckily no one was hurt. It was pretty funny though.

 

[bdcp]

My neighbor is one of those idiots who spends tons of money every year on the big boy fireworks and then sets them off in the middle of the street. Every year the police pay him a visit and let him go with a warning. Three years ago he once again was in the street letting one off and the stand thing tipped over and the firework goes flying off into my garage and goes off in my garage. I'm lucky the idiot didn't burn my whole damn house down. And they wonder why we don't like them!

We have one of those too. Any firework that shoots into the air is illegal both to sell/buy/use in VA, but not in WV or PA so people drive there and bring them back across state lines and most do not get caught. Anyway, our neighbor across the street shoots them off in the street and all the sparks and debris fall in our yard. Last year it was pretty dry and it is too this year. We always hope the cops will show up, but this area used to be pretty rural, so they just let it go for the most part. The cops feel they have more important things to deal with, like drunk drivers and we live in a very low crime area so I just think they don't enforce the fireworks laws.

Our neighbors are the "I know what I'm doing, nothing's going to happen, you worry too much" types. Um, yeah, great example they're setting for all the kids.

 

[Michelle67]

When I was a kid, I was at a friend's house and for some reason or another we were allowed to set off fireworks in the street with no supervision. Anyway we were doing those ones that sit on the ground and spin really fast while changing colors, and my friend decides she wants to know what would happen if you lit it and then threw it in the air. ZOOOOOOM! That's what happens. Luckily no one was hurt. It was pretty funny though.

I flew a similar firework (they're called bees, don't know if they even sell them anymore) into someone's T-top Camaro that way when I was a kid. I seriously thought that guy was going to KILL me. My mother's boyfriend had to come running out and save me. Don't blame the guy for being mad...but mom's BF did point out to the guy that 4th of July probably wasn't the best day to have the T-tops out. Fortunately it didn't do a lot of damage, just singed his carpet a little and he accepted the six pack of beer mom's BF offered as payment.

I feel you guys' pain that have neighborhood idiots. Where we live now fireworks are legal and the houses are well apart so there are seldom any problems, but when we lived in the city (where fireworks are illegal) we had several neighborhood idiots, and we had a shake-sided house. We used to soak the shakes really well with the hose, but I was still always worried about someone setting my house on fire with a bottle rocket. I pulled a few spent ones out from between the shakes over the years.

 

[Granfan]

When I was a young teacher of eighth graders I had a nice looking well mannered boy in my class. His mother called me one weekend to warn me not to be shocked when he came to school on Monday. He had one eye blown completely out by a small firecracker. It was so sad and so unnecessary!

 

[prncess674]

We have one of those too. Any firework that shoots into the air is illegal both to sell/buy/use in VA, but not in WV or PA so people drive there and bring them back across state lines and most do not get caught. Anyway, our neighbor across the street shoots them off in the street and all the sparks and debris fall in our yard. Last year it was pretty dry and it is too this year. We always hope the cops will show up, but this area used to be pretty rural, so they just let it go for the most part. The cops feel they have more important things to deal with, like drunk drivers and we live in a very low crime area so I just think they don't enforce the fireworks laws.

Our neighbors are the "I know what I'm doing, nothing's going to happen, you worry too much" types. Um, yeah, great example they're setting for all the kids.

We had an ****** neighbor who made a mess of the neighborhood street with his fireworks, beer cans, food waste, etc every year. One year I was completely fed up, so I went out there very early the next morning and swept up all firework debris, beer cans, misc food debris and then went and dumped the entire bin of waste all over his front stoop and lawn.

Sure I still had to work to sweep it up, but it gave me satisfaction that it was all interspersed in his front yard grass and that his hung over selfish self had to clean it up.

 

[miralys]

I guess I am old grumpy grouch, even though I am under 30. I hate fireworks (at least those set off in the neighborhood) for so many reasons.

1. They bother the dogs. One will NOT stop barking until the fireworks end. Doggie earplugs anyone?
2. Idiots around here start celebrating three days before the holiday and don't quit until three days after.
3. They make a mess. Papers and all sorts of detritus left around, but do they pick up their mess? NOOOOO.
4. You kids get off my lawn! I'm trying to sleep, dagnabit!

 

[minkydog]

When I was a kid we lived in a state where firewords were legal for 30 days surrounding the holiday(christmas, new years, 4th of July)and people blew up stuff almost constantly during the month. My next door neighbor had 3 boys who had an endless supply of Black Cat firecrackers all strung together. He carried them in his pocket and would pull them out one by one, light it and throw it somewhere. He had this little stick that looked like an incense stick, called a "punk", which he used to light the firecrackers. One evening he threw the firecracker and then put the PUNK in his pocket by accident. Blew most of his left hip off!

My younger brother was fascinated by blowing things up. One time he brought home some kind of cylinder, about a foot tall. He lit it but nothing happened. Bro waited a couple minutes, then approached. As he was looking down the barrel of that cylinder--POW~ that thing hit him right between the eyes! It knocked him off his feet, burned off all his eyelashes and eyebrows, but thankfully nothing worse. He couldn't hear good for about a week, which was probably to his benefit because it took my mother about that long to stop screaming.

 

[HappyFingers]

when i was a kid (back when fireworks were legal in Australia)

we were coming home from buying some at the local milk bar
we were in a paddock and were blowing some off (just baby rockets and stuff)

one teen showed up whom had purchased a whole bunch of firecrackers of all different sorts, he had them all stuffed in his leather jacket pockets, inside and out

some other peanut (stupid person) whom was there and we didnt really know, lit a baby rocket and put it in the guys pocket whilst he was still wearing his jacket, well his jacket started to go off (of course) and he quickly removed it, we then stood back and watched his very nice jacket completely blow itself up and catch fire

i was not impressed and thought it was a real dumb thing to do, but i didnt really know either of them so i just walked home after that in disbelief that it even happened

whilst i dont miss guns being illegal in Australia
I miss fireworks as when they were legal we had a lot of fun with them
sure people got hurt but i never as i always showed caution when using them

anyway thats my idiot firecracker tale

 

[golfgal]

Kid put a firecracker in a gas can, he survived but had burns over 70% of his body

 

[Tuffcookie]

I hate when the "non professionals" play with the firecrackers/fireworks. My dogs go crazy!!! I barely get them calmed down when another one goes off!

Not to mention the damage they can do if they land on your property.

TC

 

[SleepyMom]

Fireworks are not allowed in city limits, but that doesn't stop anyone here. Got a great pre-show last night

Last year we had new neighbors across the street and down 2 houses, they started letting their kids shoot off fireworks several days in advance of the holiday. On the 4th they were shooting them all afternoon and evening, about midnight the firetrucks started showing up. Evidently when they cleaned up the mess they just dumped everything in a bucket and put it inside the garage with no water and it started their garage on fire. They were all inside sleeping, but the dad thankfully heard the noise of the fire and got everyone out. They lost both cars and had a lot of damage to the actual structure.

They were out last night letting the kids shoot them into the street, wonder what time the firetrucks will arrive tonight?

 

[PeterPan09]

One of my neighbors decided to shoot them off from in-between parked cars. When the cops showed up, (and yes, I called them) they had to explain to him why lighting explosives near GAS TANKS was not a smart idea.