Man dies after placing lit firework on his head during Fourth of July party

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. ( WCBD ) – A South Carolina man was killed after trying to “show off” with fireworks at a Fourth of July party Thursday night.

When deputies with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office arrived at a neighborhood block party in Summerville at 10:23 p.m., they found a man lying in the roadway suffering from major head injuries.

Witnesses told deputies the injuries were from a fireworks accident.

The coroner later said the victim, 41-year-old Allen Ray McGrew, had ignited a large firework on top of his head. Witnesses told investigators he was wearing a large top hat, and put the firework on top of the hat before lighting it. The device exploded, causing “massive head injuries.”

McGrew was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to a report from the sheriff’s office, the victim’s wife told deputies she believed he placed the firework on his head to “show off” at the block party. Family members tried to get him to stop, but the firework went off, and McGrew collapsed.

The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and Dorchester County Coroner’s Office are investigating the incident.

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