Boy dies after cracker injury in eyes infects brain

Police said A Raviraj, a Class 4 student, had suffered 29 per cent burns while his younger brother Saranraj (7), who is in Class 1, continues to be under treatment with 9 per cent injuries.

When contacted, Dr Karthikeyan of Burns Ward in KMC Hospital said that Raviraj died of a brain injury after the infection spread to his brain from his eyes. “In fact, the burns on his body had healed completely and eye infection was being treated by the doctors at Government Ophthalmic Hospital, Egmore. Any deep injuries on the face have the possibility of infecting the brain, as it is positioned very close and is intricately connected,” said the doctor.

“Though he had been given antibiotics to prevent the infection spreading to brain, doctors could not find out how far his eyes had been injured,” said hospital sources.

As he had lost vision in both eyes, doctors were planning for a corneal transplant to bring back his vision. His younger brother, Saranraj, too suffered injuries in his eyes. However, the burns have healed and he is out of danger, said doctors.

The accident took place near their house at Vinayagapuram in Nerkundram on November 3, three days before Deepavali. Their father Andiappan alleged that they suffered injuries when they were passing by the area while other boys in the locality were bursting crackers. However, the police said the boys tried to burst several crackers at the same time.

Andiappan, earned a livelihood by helping people obtain PAN and Aadhaar cards, was taking care of the children by himself after his wife abandoned them years ago. Andiappan was out for work when the incident happened.