More bad news in the drone community

[Dusty DJI]

The year, 1976. The location, the proposed Mall 205 lot (it hadn't been built yet) in Portland Oregon.
My parents spent a couple hours getting us to the fireworks show. It was sort of OK.
All of a sudden, a malfunctioning mortar exploded a little too low. Then another did.
The show went on.
Then one lobbed into the crowd. It exploded next to a young woman about 30 feet from us. My dad rushed in to help.
The fireworks continued.
Emergency personnel showed up about 20 minutes after the incident. She went away in an ambulance with burns on her legs.

The year 2020 or so. The location, Eugene Oregon. I took my family to see the fireworks show being put on by a charity organization. I was a national director for this organization. I helped set up the fireworks show.
When it came time to set off the fireworks, I was with my family in the crowd.
A malfunction occurred. (I know what and how and why the malfunction happened and I told them it seemed wrong). One of the mortars exploded in it's tube and prematurely set off all of the mortars next to it. An inferno of epic proportions ensued. It caught the field on fire. The fire truck standing by was on the scene within 2 minutes hosing down the field. They had hosed it off before the lighting of the fireworks.
Nobody was hurt as the fireworks had a very large margin between them and the crowd and they were all tilted away from the crowd.

We still see fireworks shows. The only reason there are less is because they cost money and nobody wants to pay for them anymore.
And they're safer now.

The same will happen with drone shows. They will go on. We will learn from this accident.

I used to help set off firework shows back in Indiana in the 70's with my uncle, I was 16 at the time so I was more of a spectator, but I did help out. This was before all the safety procedures were in place. We hand lit the fireworks and didn't work behind sand bags or electronic igniters.
One night, in 1972, a shopping mall had a Mardi Gras celebration which included fireworks.
The show started out with a bang, pun intended. At one point, a 6" mortar loaded with a Japanese shell manufactured by MARUTAMAYA OGATSU Firework company was lit and malfunctioned. I believe the fuse had a reversal between the lift powder and main explosive ( equivalent to 7 sticks of dynamite) So instead of the fuse igniting the lift powered it went straight to the main explosive The inside of the mortar was also weak. enough to split the seam and mushroomed out sending fragments flying. I was right behind it and got blown back several feet. I got hit in the lower left calf and a fireman behind me on top of a cinema theatre got hit in the calf. Took over a third of my calf with shrapnel. Almost lost my leg. Bone material was found several feet behind me which the first responders diligent work was what saved my leg. I was in the hospital for 40 days with well over 7 surgeries and 2 skin graphs, in a wheel chair for 3 months, and on crutches for 6 months. Fake news kept saying I was going to loose my leg. Didn't happen, but I still have a gaping hole in my calf and had lost my achilles tendon which has been tied to the skin graph in order to work properly. A Vietnam vet was the one that put this Humpty back together again
I havent been back to a firework show since and never will. I am assuming this young lad won't ever want to see a drone show either. Fireworks got safer for some shows, but some rural fire departments still shoot them off like I did in the 70s.
In the 70s, we had no go fund me to fall back on. The company insurance paid some medical bills but my dad pair a lot as well. The family attorneys screwed me out of any settlement. A go fund me account would have helped and I can see why this boy's family started a go fund me page as well. These insurance companies will try screwing him out of a settlement as well.

 

[Bad Santa]

Almost makes you think they know nothing about this "heart surgery" issue they supposedly caused.

You mean the one that only the mother has said happened?

 

[Dusty DJI]

You mean the one that only the mother has said happened?

I think the mother would know. I doubt the kid would be reporting his condition to the news media
Do you really think a reporter would be going after a kid requesting an update on his condition after open heart surgery? They would be going after the family and hospital staff.

 

[Bad Santa]

I think the mother would know. I doubt the kid would be reporting his condition to the news media

No doubt the mother knows (whether or not he really needed heart surgery because of a drone impact).
I'm just trying to wrap my head around the heart surgery and the cut lip connection.

 

[Dusty DJI]

I think the mother would know. I doubt the kid would be reporting his condition on to the news media

No doubt the mother knows (whether or not he really needed heart surgery because of a drone impact).
I'm just trying to wrap my head around the heart surgery and the cut lip connection.

Look at your drone. Imaging it just a bit bigger. Now hitting a kid in the chest.
Props would also hit lips. Not that hard to put together.

 

[TonyPHX]

Rather than guess, if there is injury there should be a NTSB report forthcoming. I suggest holding speculation until the report is published. Healthy skepticism is warranted these days, but also I can see where health information, especially for a minor, should be private.

"The blade cut his mouth, but there’s an actual imprint of the drone on his chest,” Edgerton said.

As far as a gofundme, I could see where people may want to chip in to help them secure costly legal representation to make sure in fact that the bills do get paid.