Iowa mother, infant seriously injured in fireworks incident

A mother and her newborn baby were seriously injured over the weekend after a faulty firework struck the two at a party in eastern Iowa.

Margaret Limkemann, 36, suffered “severe trauma” to both of her legs after a firework unexpectedly landed in her lap and exploded on Saturday at an annual family event, according to a GoFundMe page. Once the firework hit Limkemann, she tossed her 1-month-old infant onto a nearby blanket, the fundraising page states.

Aria, the daughter, suffered a broken femur, multiple fractures and burns, according to the GoFundMe page. Both mother and daughter will require surgeries.

Brittany Bornstein, who started the online fundraising page, told the Gazette that the incident occurred on her grandfather’s property in Swisher, Iowa. She said the family was sitting approximately 50 yards away from the fireworks and alleged that the firework that landed on Limkemann was defective.

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The owner of the property was cited for failure to have a firework permit. Failure to obtain proper permits could result in a simple misdemeanor with a penalty between $65 and $625 and a maximum of 30 days in jail, according to the Gazette.

“It’s both sad and frustrating that happened,” Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek told the Press-Citizen. “That’s why we cited the homeowner for failing to have a permit.”

Pulkrabek predicted that the county is “likely to have many more significant incidents like this with people not following” local ordinances.

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Most cities in Johnson County prohibit the personal use of consumer fireworks even though the state legislature approved this year the sale of fireworks in Iowa, the Press-Citizen reported.

The GoFundMe page has raised more than $6,700.