By Theresa Goffredo
Herald Writer
MARYSVILLE — Shane Lynch was 13 when a fireworks mortar exploded and flew into his forehead.
The firework cracked his skull from ear to ear. It left his forehead in tiny pieces and burned 90 percent of his brain.
Shane, a Marysville Middle School student, remained in critical condition for 13 days after the accident. He died less than two weeks after the Fourth of July 1999.
Glenda Lynch, Shane’s mother, goes into graphic detail when she describes her son’s death.
That’s the point, after all. Fireworks can kill and it’s not pretty.
"I am prepared to do and say whatever it takes to get my goal done," Lynch said.
Lynch’s goal is to ban the sale of fireworks statewide, city by city. Currently, Lynch is working with Marysville city councilwoman NormaJean Dierck to end fireworks sales there.
"I don’t like fireworks and she cemented those feelings," Dierck said after meeting Lynch, a Snohomish school bus driver. "And we need to keep this thing moving and we’re not going to stop here."
If Marysville approves a ban, the city would join other communities that have banned sales, including Brier, Edmonds, Everett, Gold Bar, Index, Mill Creek, Mukilteo and Woodway. Fireworks are sold in unincorporated Snohomish and Island counties.
Currently, a committee is looking into the issue of a fireworks ban in Marysville. Committee members have issued a citywide survey trying to gauge the community’s reaction to a ban. The results from the two-question survey will be collected until May 16. Survey responses are to be presented to the fireworks committee at its May 23 meeting.
Early survey results show residents oppose a ban by a 2-1 margin, Marysville community information officer Doug Buell said.
"There are those who believe it’s their right to celebrate July Fourth with a bang and a fizz and others who are tired of the war zone like Marysville becomes with loud noise and personal injury," Buell said.
July Fourth celebrations always seem more intense in Marysville, Buell said, because it borders the Tulalip Tribes reservation, a popular source for a variety of fireworks. Some fireworks sold at the reservation are banned by the state and illegal to discharge off the reservation, such as bottle rockets and firecrackers.
The proximity of the Tulalips’ reservation to Marysville adds an extra wrinkle when it comes to enforcing a fireworks ban. That’s one reason Snohomish County Fire Marshal Pam Miller has yet to initiate such a ban for the county.
"We’re hesitant to do it simply because we have the issue with Indian reservations and sales, and it’s a little difficult to ban them when we don’t have the resources to enforce the ban adequately and that’s always been a problem," Miller said.
A ban might also produce potential economic impacts for groups such as Kiwanis clubs, which raise money for community service projects by operating fireworks stands.
Dierck said that’s why a Marysville ban wouldn’t go into effect until July 2002, to give these groups a full year to find other sources of funding.
The proposed ban in Marysville would repeal existing ordinances that limit the sale and discharge of Class C or "safe and sane" fireworks. Currently in Marysville, fireworks may only be sold from noon to 11 p.m. June 28 and from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 29 through July 4. Common fireworks maybe discharged from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 1-4. Under a new ordinance, any kind of fireworks, including sparklers and snakes, would be banned.
From reading Red Cross pamphlets, Dierck said she has learned that sparklers rank second in causing fireworks injuries and can burn hot enough to melt gold.
"And snakes can burn little guys’ fingers," she said.
You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097
or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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