Chicago Dad Dies From Gruesome Injury After July 4th Firework Explodes In His Hand
A Chicago family's Fourth of July celebration turned awry after the dad died at the scene while setting off fireworks.
Earl Lory, a 34-year-old father of two and a baby on the way, was reportedly setting off fireworks on Thursday night when he went to check a "foot-long mortar tube" that did not initially detonate, according to New York Post.
However, the firework unfortunately went off and blew up while he was holding it, leading to trauma in his body and his gruesome death.
"He went to light it up. He went down like this, straight to the firework. Then, when he lights it up, he takes too long to back off, and the thing blows up right in his face," Pedro Vega, a neighbor, told ABC7 Chicago.
"It's a terrible tragedy and I feel so, so sorry for his family and people around him, but I think there are so many people doing it there is bound to be an accident, they are explosives," said another neighbor named Ashley Godfrey.
Per the outlet, Lory "died instantly in front of his family."
He was survived by his wife, who is five months pregnant, and his two children, who described him as a "wonderful father."
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His family told CBS News that setting off fireworks on the Fourth of July has been a tradition in their family.
In related news, the Chicago Fire Department has recorded at least 13 fireworks-related fires during the holiday.
"City-wide, there was an overwhelming response to the fireworks [in] Chicago, at the minimum we have 13 fireworks-related fires, and that is a conservative estimate that number will increase over time as reporting comes in," CFD Deputy District Chief Doug Crowley told ABC7 Chicago.
According to CFD, the fireworks-related fires on Thursday night were the highest in number in at least 20 years.
Meanwhile, in South Carolina, another man was killed at a neighborhood block party in Summerville after he allegedly tried to "show off" by putting a firework on top of his hat before lighting it, according to WGN9.
The man was identified as 41-year-old Allen Ray McGrew. He reportedly died at the scene due to "massive head injuries" from the firework's explosion.
