On October 25 in Liverpool, England, a 14-year-old boy was walking with his bike when a stray firework hit him in the eye.
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Joseph Stopforth, in "complete agony," had to stumble to his grandparents' house so they could take him to the hospital. Once there, he underwent emergency surgery. The firework hit him directly in his eye and damaged his optic nerve. This critical injury will leave him permanently blind in his right eye.
The GoFundMe page for the incident says that the injury has turned their world upside down. Before the injury, Joseph would "care for his disabled sibling." However, "He will no longer be able to provide the care he so selflessly gave to his sibling and will now require support himself."
The family has also taken a hit as they face reduced work hours to "provide him with the care he now needs."
According to The Sun, the incident was reported to Merseyside Police. It is believed that the firework was launched from someone's backyard. "Enquiries suggest it was most likely accidental," they told the outlet. Even if it was accidental, the mother is pushing for their ban.
Child Blinded After Stray Firework Hits Him
"The rest of my son's life has changed over someone's stupidity of buying these things," says the mother. "It's so frightening, they're a danger, they need to be banned."
She also believes the private sale of them needs to be banned. Fireworks should only be used in regulated displays, she said.
The injury has been a strain of Joseph's happiness, hobbies, and education. The mother believes it's unlikely that he'll be able to return to school until next year.
"He's at that age where education is crucial. We need things adapted now which are very expensive which I can't do. I don't know how he's going to adapt to life. We don't know the outcome of anything at this point," she says despairingly.
The money from the fundraiser will hope to cover hospital travel costs, home adaptations, and to make life easier for Joseph. He's currently mentally struggling with the life-long consequences of one stray firework.
