Doctors and a local family are urging people to use caution during Diwali after a firework incident last year left a teenage girl badly burned.
Gina Ramdoss stood outside Valley Medical Center in San Jose on Thursday as she described what happened to her 13-year-old daughter, Rhea, during last year's Diwali celebrations.
Rhea was holding sparkers and taking a photo when a spark fell on her skirt, burning it and later leaving her legs burned.
Rhea was so severely burned that she had to go through an intense 9-week recovery at Valley Medical Center's burn unit.
"A small spark fell on her skirt, and then the skirt got burned, and we never expected this could happen," Ramdoss said.
Ramdoss said she hopes her daughter's story will serve as a warning about the candles and sparklers often used to celebrate the Festival of Light and the traditional sarees working during it.
"It is made of silk and synthetic, and if this catches fire, it's going to melt and stick to my skin, and it's going to burn my skin," she said.
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Tens of thousands of Indians in the Bay Area celebrate Diwali. While some might not see as many fireworks being launched as on the Fourth of July, doctors said burn units see many victims this time of year.
"The severity of burns that we have seen on Diwali surpasses what we've seen what we've seen on the 4th of July," said Dr. Clifford Sheckter, the director of Valley Medical Center's burn unit. "We've had, some years ago, a woman actually died from 70-percent total body surface area burns when her saree caught fire from candles."
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In Rhea's case, Ramdoss said she wished she had a bucket of water nearby when the accident happened. Though, she added that Rhea is on the mend.
"Now she's back playing tennis, having fun with friends, going on field trips," Ramdoss said.
