Multiple people were injured after stray fireworks shot into a crowd at a huge Fourth of July show in Utah. Though some crowd panic was seen at the time, officials of the event were able to stop the show and check on those who were injured.
Unfortunately, mishaps at Fourth of July events have been known to happen. This latest Utah incident is still being investigated.
A Large Fourth of July Celebration
This July 4th celebration was being held in Provo, a city in Utah that lies about 44 miles from Salt Lake City. Many celebrators gathered together to watch a large fireworks show at the Stadium of Fire show, which was being held at the LaVell Edwards Stadium.
This event had a large amount of people on the ground floor of the stadium, as well as in the stands.
Fireworks Going Astray
In videos posted on social media from this celebration, fireworks can be seen flying up in the air during the daytime, eliciting applause from gatherers.
However, some of those fireworks also seem to go astray. Instead of going straight up into the air, they flew into the crowd, many appearing to hit those who were in the stands of the stadium.
A Scary Incident
From the videos shared online, it appears this unfortunate incident worried many at the event.
One man posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, that his wife took while attending the fireworks show. “Thoughts and prayers for those injured at Stadium of Fire tonight,” he wrote on X.
Several Injuries Lead to Hospitalizations
According to local news stations, several people ended up injured from these stray fireworks, which resulted in many actually being taken to the hospital from the event.
Reporting also indicates that the event organizers were aware that these fireworks went into the crowd and caused injuries.
Stopping Mass Panic
Before a mass panic could set into the crowd from these astray fireworks, the fireworks show was completely halted as event organizers surveyed the situation and learned that people had been seriously injured.
This fireworks show was halted. During this time, those injured were transported to the hospital.
At Least One Serious Injury
While reporting is still coming out about this incident, it does appear that there is at least one severe injury that has occurred because of these accidentally stray fireworks.
One person had to go to the hospital after they were struck in the face by a firework. They are reportedly seriously injured.
Continuing the Firework Show
Though many people seemingly had to leave the event because they had become injured from these fireworks, the event still continued after momentarily being halted.
Therefore, around 9 p.m., the event organizers continued the fireworks show for those who remained at the stadium. It doesn’t appear any other fireworks went astray during this part of the celebration.
A Statement From the Event Organizers
America’s Freedom Festival, the event organizer, has already released a statement explaining that they had “thoroughly checked” all of their pyrotechnics before the show, as well as after this dangerous incident.
“Safety is of the utmost importance to us,” the festival posted on X. “Our thoughts are with those who were impacted, and we are following up with them to make sure they are okay.”
Another Event
After this incident, America’s Freedom Festival is set to throw yet another event for the Fourth of July weekend in Provo.
On Friday night, they will hold a hot air balloon Nighttime Glow event at 8:30 p.m.
An Unexpected Incident
Many celebrators have come out in defense of America’s Freedom Festival, explaining that they’ve never seen anything amiss during the many other events that they’ve thrown.
For example, Blake Grundvig has been to this specific show for more than 25 years now. He’s never experienced an incident like that one that happened during their Fourth of July fireworks show.
A Quick Response
According to Grundvig, the event organizer’s quick response to this incident kept panic from settling in throughout the crowd.
“We were on the North end and we didn’t see how many people left on the East end, but it was enough that you could see the gap where they pulled the people out and then they announced over the intercom for people to go to the medical tents if they needed attention,” he explained.
