CORYDON, Ind. (WDRB) — As families prepare to celebrate Independence Day this weekend with fireworks, a southern Indiana man who lost his eye to a bottle rocket two years ago is hoping to prevent someone else from suffering a similar injury.
Jerald Hess said what started as a last-minute decision to buy fireworks turned into a life-changing accident July 4, 2025.
He was using a plumber's torch to light bottle rockets outside his Corydon home when one unexpectedly struck him in the face.
"When we got to this one, lit it, and when I turned to back away, next thing I knew, pow, it hit me in the face," he said.
Hess was rushed to UofL Hospital shortly after the incident, and nearly lost his life when vital signs plummeted on the way. His left eye was eventually removed.
"I've messed with firecrackers, bottle rockets off and on since I was a teenager," Hess said. "And everybody says, 'why didn't you have safety glasses on?' Nobody ever wore safety glasses shooting fireworks."
Jerald Hess was lighting bottle rockets outside his home when one unexpectedly struck him in the face on July 4, 2024. He lost his left eye. (Photo courtesy of Hess).
Now, he'll never shoot fireworks without safety glasses, and he's urging others to follow.
Dr. Matt Bozeman, a physician with UofL Health, said serious fireworks injuries are more common than many people realize. UofL Health officials are expecting to see more injuries than usual due to a monumental Fourth of July as America celebrates its 250th birthday.
"I've seen people be killed by fireworks," Bozeman said. "I've seen them be hit in the head so bad that it's killed them. We recently have had people that have lost an eye."
Last year alone, fireworks caused 15 deaths and more than 13,000 injuries nationwide.
Bozeman said he expects to see an increase in fireworks-related injuries during the holiday and encourages people to buy fireworks from certified manufacturers, light them only in appropriate areas, keep spectators at a safe distance, have a water source nearby and designate a sober adult to handle the fireworks.
"A little bit of common sense goes a long way toward fireworks," Bozeman said.
Hess said he followed many of those precautions, but believes one simple piece of protective equipment could have changed the outcome.
"It doesn't take a few seconds to put on a pair of goggles or face shield or something, because that happens just so fast," Hess said.
Despite the life-changing injury, Hess said he still plans to set off bottle rockets this year, but only with much greater caution.
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