Fireworks Burn Brewster Man

Despite repeated warnings by police and emergency services providers about the dangers of illegal fireworks, a Brewster man suffered serious facial burns on Independence Day night when a device exploded in his face.

The Putnam 911 Dispatch Center received a frantic call at 10:10pm from a woman who reported hearing a "loud explosion and screams for help" in the vicinity of Lake Tonetta in Southeast.

The Brewster Fire Department was summoned along with EMS and paramedics from the TransCare Ambulance Company. Brewster State Police Sgt. Joseph Malorgio and Trooper Brian Baas also responded with members of the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.

Minutes later, the emergency personnel found their victim—51-year-old Joseph Dragani of Brewster—suffering from massive burns of the face along with other head and facial injuries.

A call went out for the STAT-Flight helicopter, but the MedEvac choppers were on previous calls, as was the State Police helicopter and several helicopters from Connecticut. The mutual aid system had the next MedEvac helicopter available in Pennsylvania, so EMS personnel decided to transport the severely injured man by ambulance to the trauma unit at Danbury Hospital instead of waiting for the chopper to arrive. Burn victims in Putnam County are normally air- lifted to the Burn Unit at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

Interviews with incident commander Brewster Fire Chief Shawn Conrad and witnesses to the tragedy indicated after the detonation, Dragani apparently fell head-first into a wooden dock at the lakeshore inflicting more serious injuries to his face.

Police reported receiving dozens of calls on July 4 concerning illegal fireworks. In most cases, officers responded and dispersed party-goers and confiscated the potentially deadly devices.

Magnificent professionally produced fireworks displays were held in Lake Carmel, Southeast and Cold Spring on the 4th of July that were attended by thousands of revelers.