Grayslake Police Issue Tickets For Fireworks Violations

GRAYSLAKE, IL — The Grayslake Police Department responded to 29 fireworks complaints over the Fourth of July weekend and issued two citations, Grayslake Police Chief Phil Perlini told Patch Tuesday.

The fireworks-related reports began on Thursday and continued through Monday, Perlini said. No one was injured during any of the incidents. The police department also did not respond to any major crashes and also did not make any driving while under the influence arrests, Perlini said.

Meanwhile, an Illinois man died Sunday after suffering fatal injuries while lighting fireworks, police in Boone County said. Sheriff's officials said deputies responded to a home in Garden Prairie around 9:15 p.m. and discovered that a man in his mid-30s had sustained fatal injuries.

• Man Dies In Fireworks Incident In Illinois: Police
  

Over the weekend, a man was badly injured in a backyard fireworks accident Saturday night in Waukegan, WLS reported. The man, who is in his 20s, was trying to light fireworks, but when they did not go off, he went to check on them just as they exploded in his face, Carman Benson, the man's grandmother, told the news outlet.

Benson said her grandson's injuries were so bad that he had to be airlifted to the hospital, according to WLS. She told WGN that he had lost an eye and had other severe injuries.

• Fireworks Explode In Man's Face, Cause Loss Of Eye, Trauma

Except for mostly novelty items, fireworks are illegal to purchase or use in the State of Illinois, and efforts to legalize them in the state have fizzled out. When it comes to fireworks, the state fire marshal says residents should leave it to the professionals.

• Illinois Fireworks Legalization Effort A Dud So Far
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In 2020, 89 Illinois hospitals reported treating 163 patients with fireworks-related injuries — an increase from 2019, when 56 hospitals reported admitting 143 patients with fireworks injuries.

There were no fireworks-related fatalities in 2020, but a 53-year-old Chicago man was killed in a fireworks accident the year before.

• 4th Of July Fireworks 2021: What's Legal, What's Not In Illinois