Tron celebrates New Year’s Eve with his family on Tustna, an island outside Kristiansund. There are children present and he gets an idea.
He buys the biggest fireworks battery he can find at the local store. The clock is approaching midnight. The company goes out, and the wind tears well in the clothes.
Strand puts the battery at a good distance from the spectators and turns it on. He goes back, stands among the audience and waits. And they wait, but nothing happens.
– After a while I go away to check, and when I was close it narrowed.
One of the shots hits Tron’s glasses, they shatter and the pieces of glass hit the eye.
He stays on the ground while the remaining 59 shots fly up, creating the show everyone has been waiting for. But now the fireworks are an obstacle for the others who want to help.
When the bangs finally end, a several-hour milk route to Molde Hospital begins.
The entire TV 2 helps you episode “Dangerous celebration” you see on Play.
Want a ban
But it turns out that the eye is so damaged that it needs treatment by a specialist. Strand is therefore transported to Ullevål University Hospital. There he is operated on by eye surgeon Ragnheidur Bragadottir.
TV 2 helps you is with when Tron meets Ragnheidur again, see the meeting in the video at the top of the case.
Many years later, she remembers the difficult operation well.
– It took over three hours. There was great damage to the cornea. The lens was damaged and the retina completely loose. There were several pieces of glass in the eye, one of which was over an inch long.
– ADVANCED EQUIPMENT: During the operations, eye surgeon Ragnheidur Bragadottir uses devices that can only be found in one place in the whole of Scandinavia. Photo: Sven-Erling Brusletto.
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It is almost 20 years since the incident took place, but it is not unique. Every year, 10-20 people get serious eye injuries on New Year’s Eve.
Tron Strand wants a ban on private launching.
Are you going to shoot up fireworks? So well protects the goggles
– Why it should be allowed, I do not understand. In addition, there is often alcohol in the picture as well, he says to TV 2 helps you.
Changed attitude at the national meeting
He is not alone in wanting a ban.
In a survey conducted by the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning, 48 percent answered that they were against private use of fireworks. 32 percent were for.
The Association of the Blind has also conducted a survey. There, 44 percent answered that they were against private launching.
At the national meeting this autumn, the association changed its attitude to the private use of fireworks.
– If we are to take it seriously, then we must go for a ban. We want private launching to be banned so that we avoid people losing sight unnecessarily, says union leader Terje André Olsen.
Develops safer products
The industry sells fireworks for around NOK 350 million every year. The Norwegian Fireworks Association says they are working to make the products safer.
– We take feedback from the market and develop safer products that also have the same effect on New Year’s Eve, so that the customer is both safe and satisfied, says spokesman for the association, Rikard Spets.
He believes private launching of fireworks in the first place is not risky.
– If people follow the instructions for use on the product, wear safety goggles and stay away from alcohol, then this is safe.
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