What a colossal moron!

[Deleted]

Probably it was some kind of weird fetish. Who knows.

Explosiosexual? Nah.

[Deleted]

"His brother Cody Staples, 25, told the Daily News he was standing five feet away from Devon in a backyard in Calais, Maine. He said his brother was holding a lighter and it accidentally caused the firework to go off."

Why was a firework on his head whilst holding a lighter?

[Mirishka]

He was drinking. Even the smartest of people do dumb shit when they drink.

Exactly. That's why I don't drink.

[Annoying]

So according to the brother, who was standing right nearby, the explosion blew the guy up like...completely...there wasn't much left.


It says it was a mortar tube style firework...which confuses me... had it been in the tube then it should have launched and the only injury would be from taking the (significant ) recoil of the tube. It seems as though it went off right there on the ground which means this guy used a round from a mortar cannon and set it off on his head.......has he never seen war movies?? Does he not know that in war we use similar small rounds to effectively kill groups of people at a time?

I don't care how much you had to drink there was something wrong with this guy. His brother says 'he wasn't the kind of guy to do dangerous things like this, he was the kind of guy who would pretend to do it to make people laugh'. Really? 'Hey look guys, I'm an inch from committing suicide, isn't this just HILARIOUS!?!?' How much of an attention whore does one need to be?

I'd expect that a mortar tube wouldn't work well when it's off the ground. That whole equal and opposite reaction thing means that without the earth under a mortar tube, the projectile might not fly out far enough or at all. It probably blew up in the tube with his head right next to it.

[Lava Bucket]

I think that things like this happen every 4th of July because many people don't consider fireworks to be dangerous. Any amount of explosive material can be dangerous under the right circumstances.

I'm also a little puzzled that it appears to have blown the guy's head off. I'm not familiar with reloadable firework mortars, but maybe the firework simply exploded rather than launching and then exploding.

[Deleted]

Cause he was playing around, being stupid (cause he was drunk).

You don't really believe that scenario?

[Deleted]

Cause he was playing around, being stupid (cause he was drunk).

That doesn't excuse his stupidity

[Dendrek]

You don't really believe that scenario?

It's actually far more believable than the alternative.

[Deleted]

Being drunk can excuse a lot of things. You don't think correctly. You do and say things you wouldn't normally say or do.

Getting drunk knowing you're operating fireworks isn't excusable

[Super Kami Dende]

Being drunk can excuse a lot of things. You don't think correctly. You do and say things you wouldn't normally say or do.

Whilst I can attest to doing stupid shit whilst drunk, I've still always had at least a shred of sense not to use something that could blow my head off.

[Deleted]

Wow, the Darwin Award competition is tight this year.

[ItachiZaku]

The guy who taunted the alligator tops him.

Most gators carry either a gat or a crucifix. Can't trust them people from Gainsville.

[Sarcon]

Jesus christ what kind of firework was it?

[Tradewind]

Jesus christ what kind of firework was it?

Possibly this

[Acelius]

And the Darwin award goes to...

[Army Dreamer]

He was drinking. Even the smartest of people do dumb shit when they drink.

Smart people don't drink that much.

[Lava Bucket]

http://www.cnet.com/news/govt-agency...tag=YHFa03506c

I know that some fireworks have the bang to relocate one's head, but I wasn't sure how this particular arrangement of head and firework managed to result in a missing head. It would have been interesting if the reporter had investigated a bit further to see if the firework didn't work as intended and why.

It could be that:

1. The firework was working as it was supposed to, but the improper handling of the mortar yielded an unexpected result

2. The firework simply malfunctioned. Anyone who has lit off a hundred bottle rockets has seen that a couple just explode instead of launching and then exploding.

3. The guy put the wrong kind of firework in the mortar. Some fireworks launch and then go boom, and some just go boom. If he put the "just go boom" kind in a mortar, that could have been what caused the problem.

[Cerus]

http://www.cnet.com/news/govt-agency...tag=YHFa03506c

Fireworks aren't dangerous by themselves - idiots with fireworks are. The majority of firework related injuries are 15yr olds and younger and the majority of those are from illegal explosive devices that were banned in the 60s like M80s and 1/4 sticks.

YouTube is full of idiots playing games with Roman candles and the like. Every firework comes with a label saying it isn't a toy yet kids account for 65%+ of the injuries.

On topic: An artillery shell is very powerful - the shockwave and initial flash alone can cause serious damage. If loaded upside down the result can be devastating especially if launched from PVC which is a big no no.

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Um...drinking whilst using fireworks is requisite for any fourth of July party.

dunno how you guys do it but here the two come hand in hand, they even sell them in the same isle at some stores.

No legitimate consumer fireworks store sells alcohol and only idiots mix the two.

[Deleted]

At least he went out with, you know, a bang.

[Wiyld]

Getting drunk knowing you're operating fireworks isn't excusable

Again you don't get it.

I'm not just saying this to say it.

There is literally a standardized Fourth of July party scenario here.

You cook a big ass lunch/diner, most likely outside on the grill, this is when the drinking starts. Pregaming begins when the grill gets lit. you spend the afternoon outside drinking and eating, then as it gets later you start out with the sparklers and little fireworks, let the kids have some fun. As it gets dark you bring out the big guns and starting making some real noise. At this point you've been drinking for about half the day so you've probably gotten drunk and sobered up two or three times.

There are variations on this theme but in general this is how it works.

As for myself, this year was the first in a long time when I did not get any of my own fireworks, just ran out of time to deal with it on my own. Instead there is a field about 4 blocks from my house where the neighborhood association fires off a professional show and then about 15 houses around the field spend three house taking turns firing off the biggest legal rounds you can buy. It was pretty awesome, three solid ours of fireworks coming from every direction and popping right above you...the perfect end to the perfect day.

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No legitimate consumer fireworks store sells alcohol and only idiots mix the two.

Who said 'fireworks store' There are stores all over the place that sell fireworks just for the fourth. Hell even grocery stores sell fireworks.