ALLEGAN, Mich — A child was taken to a Grand Rapids hospital for treatment after a firework landed in a crowd watching the display in Allegan Monday night.
A handful of others suffered minor injuries, Allegan City Manager Joel Dye said.
The ordeal happened during the city's July 3 Jubilee celebration during the firework display shortly after 10 p.m.
Many attendees shared video of the incident, including one woman who isn't sure she'll return to the event next year.
"I am actually very traumatized, you can say because I mean, I'm used to them being far away like them coming over on the other side of the bridge shooting up. And I mean, there were maybe a couple of bullets for the grand finale. Like right there. But they were never as close as they were this year. And I don't know if I plan on going back. And that's my hometown. So it's very tragic," Skyler Veldhuis said.
Allegan contracts with Wolverine Fireworks Display, INC for the show. Organizers used pontoon boats in the Kalamazoo River for the main show and the finale to launch south of M89. The proximate show launches about 90 feet from the pedestrian boardwalk.
Proximate fireworks are often used at concerts, theme parks, and local festivals. These types of shows fall under the National Fire Protection Association 1126 Standards.
The city said a firework cake from the show landed into a crowd east of one of the pontoon boats.
A handful of people were hurt, and most were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
One person was taken to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital for further evaluation.
"Our thoughts are with all of those who were affected by this unintentional incident," Joel Dye, Allegan City Manager said in a statement.
"The City of Allegan is thankful for the quick response by the Allegan Fire District, LIFE EMS, the Allegan County Sherriff’s Department, and the Allegan City Police Department. The City of Allegan and the Allegan Fire District are dedicated to ensuring and improving the safety of all eventgoers."
Wolverine Fireworks Display, INC. has been in business since 1979, and the city of Allegan has annual contracts with them for three shows a year.
The city says the Allegan Fire District is present at all of these shows to respond to any emergencies that could happen.
Editor's Note: 13 ON YOUR SIDE accidentally quoted Joel Dye saying the incident was intentional however his statement said it was unintentional. The error has been fixed in this article.
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