Firework Fatally Explodes In Man's Face

CHICAGO, IL — A Southwest Side man was killed Tuesday after fireworks he was checking exploded in his face. David Griffin, 42, was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than a half hour after the accident, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The incident happened at around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, in an alley in the 2500 block of West 54th Street, the report stated. Griffin was putting together a fireworks display for kids when he lit a tube designed to fire pyrotechnics up to 50 feet in the air, the report added. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

But the fireworks didn't go off as expected, and Griffin moved in closer to inspect the tube, the report stated. When he bent over the tube to look at it, the fireworks ignited and struck him in the face, the report added.

Griffin was the only reported Fourth of July fatality caused by fireworks in Chicago. Firefighters responded to two calls Tuesday of hand injuries caused by fireworks, both on the Northwest side, according to the Chicago Fire Department. One man was hurt in the 4600 block of West Belmont Avenue in the Kilbourn Park neighborhood, and another man was injured in the 4300 block of Cortez Street in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.

In both cases, the injuries happened when the fireworks the men were holding went off in their hands, the fire department said.

More via the Chicago Tribune

Photo via Pixabay

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