‘Baddest pain I ever felt’: 7-year-old boy recovering after firework accident

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A 7-year-old boy in Gaston County is recovering after a firework accident on Sunday.

Lyrik Chastain has serious burns on his arm after a firework set his clothes on fire. He’s out of the hospital now and healing with generous support from first responders.

Chastain’s parents told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon when they first saw the wound, they thought he might lose his arm. His father called him a champion.

He certainly felt like a winner Tuesday when a fire truck from the Agriculture Center Volunteer Department pulled up to his home near Dallas with gifts. The presents included two gift cards totaling $1,000 to help with healing from one of the scariest days of Chastain’s life.

“It was the baddest pain I ever felt,” Chastain said.

His stomach, back, arms and hands are still bandaged from second-degree burns.

On Sunday, his father Jeff Eubanks was shooting fireworks into the air near their home. Eubanks said one of them didn’t go straight up into the air. Instead, it made a scary turn, traveling about 100 feet to a spot where Chastain was standing with his mother.

“It just shot right towards him and caught him, and caught his shirt on fire and blew up,” Eubanks said.

“I saw it come to my face, and that’s when I raised my arm up so it don’t hit my face,” Chastain said.

It cut deep into his forearm, leaving a menacing gash that’s now covered by bandages.

“It’s just hard to imagine the fear that comes across you when you see your little kid sitting there, hollering, and you really don’t know what to do,” Eubanks said.

Paramedics rushed Chastain to the Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem. He said he was scared, but also happy that his worst wound could be treated. Doctors said he can make a full recovery and were able to release him quickly.

Chastain said he and his father learned one valuable lesson.

“Get as far away from fireworks as you possibly can,” he said.

“Right now, I don’t have no desire to bring them home and light fireworks,” Eubanks said.

Next year, they’ll watch professional fireworks shows instead.

The gift cards Chastain received Tuesday will help cover medical expenses and trips back to the hospital for follow-up visits.

Firefighters say those gift cards were paid for through the Firefighters Burned Children Fund. Aluminum cans collected at departments across the state are recycled and the money from that is used to help children who are suffering from serious burns.

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