According to the Herald-Times, a man from Bloomington passed away during the Fourth of July holiday after witnesses say he attempted to light a huge fireworks mortar while holding it over his head.
On Saturday, July 5, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the incident occurred some distance away from Stinesville. According to a press statement issued by the Monroe County Sheriff’s office, individuals who were interrogated at the site reported to the authorities that they attempted to stop the individual. “He dismissed his friends, claiming that he had done this before,” the release stated before the incident.
The National Safety Council’s guidelines include, among other things, the recommendation that lighted fireworks should not be held and that a safe distance should be maintained after they have been lit.
It was determined that Tyler Pinkley, age 23, had passed away at the scene.
