A MAN is fighting for his life in St George Hospital after one of two serious fireworks accidents during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
A firework exploded in the face of Adrian Alafaci, 28, just after 12am on Sans Souci beach. He suffered severe burns.
On the Central Coast, a 21-year-old suffered serious burns when a piece of pyrotechnics exploded in his face at Shelly Beach about 10.15pm yesterday.
He was flown to Royal North Shore Hospital.
His injuries are not considered to be life-threatening. Police are now investigating the incident.
A man received serious burns to his face and body in a New Year’s Eve fireworks accident at Shelly Beach on the NSW Central Coast. Picture: David Cleverly
Bob Buffoni lives across the road from the thin line of beach on Riverside Drive where the accident occurred.
“We heard the bang and the flash together, it was really loud. I went over, everybody was concerned and rushing about, people on mobile phones calling for an ambulance. A girl on a phone saying there was a
“Seeing the sister, she was quite distressed.
“There was a bang and the simultaneous light that lit up the whole room.
“It wasn’t a rowdy party. I don’t know what sort of firework it was. There was the usual sort of bangs then this exceptional one.”
Angela Lirantzis said it was a chaotic scene.
“I saw the guy being taken on a stretcher in a bad way. There was a lot of screaming going on, relatives around him,” she said.
“I heard women screaming and saw all these people on the beach. I heard a lady saying ‘he’s burnt, he’s burnt’. It’s a sad way to start 2015. I saw a few firecrackers going off.”
Two other people suffered minor injuries from fireworks in Brighton Le Sands and at Bossley Park but were not taken to hospital..
While police said it was one of the best behaved New Year’s Eves paramedics were kept busy.
NSW Ambulance Assistant Commissioner David Dutton said an 100 extra ambulance paramedics were rostered on for the night.
“(There was) the full range of injuries: fractures and falls and alcohol intoxication. Since 4pm New Year’s Eve ambulance call takers have answered in excess of 1000 emergency triple-zero calls in Sydney,” he said.
