July 4 came and went with fanfare and fireworks, but no major fireworks-related injuries throughout southern Arizona, or at least none that were widely reported.
While that doesn’t make it any smarter that Tucson supermarkets and roadside tents still sell fireworks all over town although they are illegal for private use in city limits, it could mean a few other things. Fireworks might actually be getting safer or – get this – people might actually be getting smarter about the dangers of such explosives.
Except for the guy North Dakota who had his head blown off.
The North Fargo fatality occurred when 41-year-old Jesse William Burley lit an explosive, believed to be some type of mortar-style firework, which exploded in a cloud of smoke and resulted in his decapitation, according to a report on North Dakota’s Inforum news website.
Burley’s neighbor Chris Hanson, who lives up the street in the mobile home park, admitted he had seen Burley’s stash of fireworks earlier that day and knew to get out of there. He said the fireworks sported stickers that read: “If found please report to the U.S. government.”
Hanson was about to leave the neighborhood when Burley lit off a second firework after the first one exploded with no other side effects but a big bang and visible shock waves.
The second explosive ripped Burley’s head off.
