Mother of schoolgirl, 10, who suffered horrific burns when she was hit by a firework on Bonfire Night at the age of 4, recalls terrifying moment she watched her daughter ‘catch alight’
- Rosie Mason from Wales told This Morning about her accident in November 2017
- WARNING: Graphic images of injuries
The mother of a schoolgirl who was left with horrific burns after being hit by a firework on bonfire night recalls the moment she turned around to see her daughter had ‘caught alight’.
Ten-year-old Rosie Mason, from Cwmbran, Wales, had to have a skin graft after a firework shot off at an angle on the Bonfire Night of 2017 – but said she now sees her marks as ‘armour’.
Speaking on This Morning today, she joined her parents to share key safety tips for the upcoming festivities.
‘We were at a friend’s house because our elder son is autistic and she also has autistic children,’ her mother Eleanor said as she recalled the incident.
‘We followed all the safety precautions… everybody was having hotdogs, starting to enjoy the evening.
Ten-year-old Rosie Mason, from Cwmbran, Wales, had to get a skin graft after a firework shot off at an angle on the Bonfire Night of 2017
‘And then we had a multi-shot fireworks box which shoots up… I think this one was from a supermarket. It was lit, all the children were safe enough back from the display.’
However, one of them ‘didn’t quite shoot off straight’, and ended up going back, hitting Rosie in the neck and setting her coat alight.
Eleanor – who, along with her daughter, is now an ambassador for the Children’s Burn Trust – stressed that all the safety measures were thought of; the fireworks were set off right at the back of the garden, there was a bucket of sand and a bucket of water on hand, and all the children stood back.
Both parents admitted the horrific incident felt like ‘slow motion’.
‘I think our primary focus at that time was all the kids, get them all inside,’ father James revealed.
‘We got all the kids in as fast as we could and then were assessing each child to make sure they were OK – and obviously in that sense, it wasn’t.’
Eleanor said it felt like an ‘out of body experience’ to realise her daughter was injured.
‘I just remember her coat and her scarf,’ she added. ‘She had an Elsa hat on and that all caught alight.’
At the hospital, Rosie (pictured in 2017) faced a tumultuous five to six weeks of procedures before she was able to go home just before Christmas
First, she had to go into surgery for skin debriding – a chemical cleaning of the area. Rosie pictured with her injuries in 2017
Rosie, however, said that she doesn’t recall ‘much’ because she was so young.
‘I remember that we were all just standing back at the house,’ she recounted. ‘I think I was just in complete shock, if forgot about all of it.’
James said emergency services advised them to get Rosie into a lukewarm bath, where he kept dousing it with water until the parademics arrived.
At the hospital, Rosie faced a tumultuous five to six weeks of procedures before she was able to go home just before Christmas.
First, she had to go into surgery for skin debriding – a chemical cleaning of the area.
Then, the young girl had to patiently wait for her injuries to heal and keep them painstakingly clean through stinging, painful baths.
She also had to get her head shaved in order to get the skin graft.
Speaking on This Morning today, she joined her parents to share key safety tips for the upcoming festivities
Now, Rosie calls her scars ‘armour’.
‘We were just watching some programmes and listening to other children that are now adult ambassadors at the Children’s Burn Trust,’ Eleanor explained.
‘And they’ve always said that it’s part of their story, part of their life, it’s their armour.’
The ten-year-old has also been going into schools to do talks and help spread the word about fire safety.
She and her family have also worked to raise money for the Children’s Burn Trust.
Rosie shared her top safety tips with This Morning viewers, as presenter Rylan Clark dubbed her the new ‘Alice Beer’.
‘The first one would be, go to an organised display,’ she advised. ‘If you do decide to stay at home, stay inside and then let a responsible, trusted adult set them off.
‘Also have a bucket of sand and water around, and remember the three Cs – call, call and cover with clingfilm.’
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