Teen boy hit by firework thrown from passing car
A TEENAGER feared he had lost his sight after a firework thrown from a passing car exploded in his face.
Daryl Berrill (13) was left with severe burns to the face after he was struck by the firework slung from a car in the village of Drumiskin, Co Louth.
"His eyes went black and he thought that his eyes had got it," his mother Gillian Berrill, from Drumiskin, said.
The young boy, who was walking with his 10-year-old friend, was rushed to hospital after the attack around 4pm on Sunday.
The pictures show the extent of the red burn marks left on his face, which also caused his lips to swell. Daryl was placed on morphine to counteract the pain of the burns.
"They just threw the firework out and drove off," Ms Berrill said. "He is in total shock."
The firework was believed to have been thrown from a red car, possibly a Toyota Corolla or a Honda, with tinted windows.
Gardai at Castlebellingham, who are investigating the incident, have appealed for information.
CCTV footage from the town is also being examined to help catch the perpetrators.
"Anyone with information should contact gardai, the slightest bit of information would help," Ms Berrill said. "These people need to be caught."
She said it was a "disgrace and it was lucky he was still able to see" due to the extent of the burns to the face.
After the firework exploded in his face, young Daryl rushed to a water tap at the side of a nearby friend's house to splash water on his face.
He was first taken to Louth County Hospital, before later being transferred to the burns unit at St James's Hospital. Doctors at the Dublin hospital believed the young boy should not suffer any permanent scarring to his face, his mother said.
However, he has been referred as an urgent appointment to the Crumlin children's hospital for further assessment.
- Louise Hogan
