June 23, 2022
The Fourth of July holiday is fast approaching and once again Minnesota’s physicians want to remind their fellow residents to leave the lighting of fireworks to the professionals.
“We urge Minnesotans to play it safe and let the experts handle the fireworks this summer,” said MMA President Randy Rice, MD. “Every year, many Minnesotans are injured and wind up in the emergency department because of injuries caused by fireworks.”
According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission an estimated 15,600 fireworks-related injuries were treated in emergency departments in 2020. Eighteen people died because of these injuries. This is a 50% increase in deaths and injuries between 2019 and 2020.
Nearly 45% of the injuries were burns. Sixteen hundred people were hurt by firecrackers, and 900 were hurt by seemingly harmless sparklers. The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers (an estimated 30%); head, face, and ears (an estimated 22%); and eyes (an estimated 15%).
About the Minnesota Medical Association
The Minnesota Medical Association is a non-profit professional association representing physicians, residents and medical students. With more than 11,000 members, the MMA is dedicated to being the leading voice of medicine to make Minnesota the healthiest state and the best place to practice.
October 8, 2025
Two physicians, four physicians-in-training, the late Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy were all honored with MMA awards as part of this year’s Empowering Physicians event on September 26. Each year, the MMA honors those in medicine for going above and beyond.
September 30, 2025
Lisa Mattson, MD, of Plymouth, was installed as the Minnesota Medical Association’s (MMA) 159th president on September 26, during the association’s Empowering Physicians event in Minneapolis.
September 8, 2025
The Minnesota Medical Association (MMA) and four other physician advocacy organizations sent a letter to Gov. Tim Walz on September 5 urging him to call a special legislative session to “pass legislation to address the devastating death and injuries from firearms and gun violence.