The man's wife said he had been drinking for several hours before the accident happened
A South Carolina man is dead after a firework he ignited on top of his head on Independence Day in an apparent attempt to "show off" exploded, according to officials.
Allen Ray McGrew, 41, set a large "firework device" on top of his head and ignited it at 10:20 p.m. on Thursday on a subdivision's street, the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office said, according to WSB-TV.
"The device exploded while on top of his head causing massive head injuries," the sheriff’s office said.
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Officials say a South Carolina man was killed when a firework he set off on top of his head on Independence Day exploded. (iStock)
McGrew was pronounced dead at the scene in Summerville, South Carolina.
The man was "showing off" when he put a firework on his head, according to the incident report from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, FOX Television Stations reported.
McGrew's wife told deputies they were having a block party on July 4th and that her husband had been drinking for several hours before the accident happened, according to the report. She said she observed her husband put a firework on his head in what she believed was an attempt to "show off."
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Allen Ray McGrew, 41, was pronounced dead at the scene in Summerville, South Carolina. (iStock)
The report said McGrew's wife was telling him to stop when the firework went off, and witnesses saw him collapse.
Independence Day is McGrew's favorite holiday, his wife told The Post and Courier, which reported that the firework used in the accident was legal.
