Posted on 07/06/2011 8:17:23 AM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
An eyewitness here says a Fourth of July fireworks accident decapitated a Fargo man Monday night.
Police identified the victim as Jesse William Burley, a 41-year-old father of two, who enjoyed life to its fullest, said Burley’s stepfather Chuck Asplin of Fargo.
Chris Hanson, Burley’s neighbor who saw the accident, was packing up his car to leave north Fargo’s Riviera Heights mobile home park as tornado sirens sounded just before 9:30 p.m.
Burley was getting ready to set off a second round of what Hanson said he believed was either a homemade or illegal artillery shell firework.
“He went over into the middle of the street, and within 10 seconds of us talking to him, he lit it and all we saw was a cloud of smoke, a bang,” Hanson said.
What Hanson saw next immediately sent him into shock, he said.
“When I walked up to his body, it was nothing but his shoulders down,” Hanson said Tuesday.
Police Lt. Joel Vettel said Tuesday police are confident the device was a commercial-grade firework, which are federally regulated.
The area Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting Fargo police to investigate whether this type of firework was illegal and how it was obtained, Vettel said.
Hanson said that on Monday evening Burley asked him over to his trailer to check out something. Burley showed Hanson fireworks that contained a warning that read, “If found please report to the U.S. government,” Hanson said.
“Right there and then I knew that I had to get away because I was not going to be involved in that,” Hanson said.
Burley ignited the first firework, which went off with a big bang but no injuries, Hanson said.
“You could see the shock waves in the air,” he said.
An hour and a half later, Burley lit the fatal second firework, Hanson said.
The accident should be used as an example of how dangerous fireworks can be, Hanson said.
“I’m never going to light a firecracker off again in my life,” he said.
Burley’s family remembered Jesse as a good-hearted kid, who would do anything for anybody, said Asplin, his stepfather and boss at Chuck’s Sandjacking in Fargo.
Jesse Burley had a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old son who were not at his residence at the time of the accident.
Fargo police recovered a third firework device in Burley’s home on Tuesday and a metal pipe near the accident site at the 3500 block of Kelley Street North that was reportedly used as a mortar to launch shells.
“It appears that he was lighting the device off, and so we don’t feel that there were others involved in the incident at this point,” Vettel said.
Burley’s body was sent to Bismarck for an autopsy. There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. Friday at Boulger Funeral Home in Fargo.
If he was wearing a helmet, he’d be alive today.
This shows the need for more education. Our public schools obviously need to be teaching “safe fireworks/explosives handling skills”.
Since they are going to do it anyway; we need to teach them how to do it safely.
Having worked with “commercial fireworks” — I got to help on a professional shoot once — I know this wasn’t a “commercial firework.” Those have cheap paper labels on a cardboard/brown paper shell. If it said “return to government” then that was an artillery shell or a mortar round that he was setting off.
Much like the various idiots playing with landmines and grenades, this was *not* caused by commercial fireworks, but by someone using a device meant to kill people...
...successfully.
Did they actually find the head anywhere?
or was it just vaporized?
“Police Lt. Joel Vettel said Tuesday police are confident the device was a commercial-grade firework, which are federally regulated...
The accident should be used as an example of how dangerous fireworks can be, Hanson said.
“I’m never going to light a firecracker off again in my life,” he said. “
I don’t understand how this person came to this conclusion, since the device involved was clearly not a “firecracker”. Let’s see if some analogies help me understand...
“Wow. Some guy just got eaten by a lion! I will never own a housecat again in my life!”
“Wow. My friend just drowned in the ocean! I will never take a bath again in my life!”
“Wow, that dude just got shot with a 12 gauge! I will never own a cap gun again in my life!”
...nope. I got nothing here.
The BATFE is conducting an active investigation in Fargo to find where these came from. I'd expect to hear more shortly.
Local TV news here in MN last night said his head was over a mortar-type pipe. Sounds like a shell to the head and massive head trauma.
They leave the pipe with some serious velocity.
HUGH and SERIES.
have to watch later...:)
It is not as if he was using it.
Burley’s family remembered Jesse as a good-hearted kid, who would do anything for anybody
OK, which one is it - was he a 41-year-old man, or a kid? This one could have sported the rare "Hold muh beer/Darwin nominee" alert.
Thanks for the fireworks heads up.
BATF and Project Shellrunner.
http://mst3k.wikia.com/wiki/A_Danger_to_Myself_and_Others
A Danger to Myself and Others
Danger to Ourselfs and Others is a song from the episode, Attack of the Giant Leeches. Joel, Tom, and Crow are dressed up as misfits in an military war, They are searching the swap for missing townsfolk.
JOEL: Bring it down there, Gypsy. Ya know, Silas, it’s not easy being a social misfit and then getting the added responsibility of dragnetting the swamp for missing townsfolk. And I can’t even button my own shirt.
TOM: Yeah, I hear ya, Gunther. Now isn’t it amazing how we inferior types keep getting asked to do the dangerous work which should go to men more stable than us? Really is a miracle! He huu! Hooter?
CROW: Uh, duh, yep! Uh wagnets. Hahaha.
JOEL: Whadda he say, Silas?
TOM: Well, I think what our bright young friend’s trying to say here is the reason we three goofuses are asked to do these hazardous tasks outside the perimeter of normal society’s rationale is, we’re a danger to ourselves and others.
[music starts]
JOEL: Hu da! Kinda reminds me of Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection.
CROW: Yeah! If you’re dumb—ya DIE!
[all laugh]
TOM: That’s, I say, that’s a rich one there, Hooter!
Oh, I’m a danger to myself and others.
My cousins are as close as brothers.
I stay out in the rain all the time!
CROW: He’s a danger to himself and others.
Only likes shows with Sally Struthers.
I can’t even think of a word that rhymes.
TOM: Ya just did!
JOEL: How dumb are you Uncle-Dad?
TOM: Well pretty dumb, that’s for sure!
CROW: How dumb are you Uncle-Dad?
TOM: Well this pipe’s filled with manure!
ALL: We’re a danger to ourselves and others.
Screw the earth and steal our mothers.
Leave us in the woods and we’re just fine.
We’re a danger to ourselves and others.
Good livestock with better lovers.
Hunting leeches is what we call a good time!
[Joel throws dynamite.]
BOOM! BOOM!
TOM: Oh Boy! I’d like to shake hands with any Giant Leeches after that.
CROW: What? The dynamite or that crappy song?
TOM: He he huee.
According to reports the head passed next to an airliner on final approach. A passenger reportedly saw a smiling face, and heard the words “Welcome to Fargo”.
That’s only a rumor however.
LOL...I can’t wait to get home and see this...thanks for the lyrics!
That said, I do recognize this person was a human who had a family. What he did was surely stupid, but he doesn’t have a monopoly on stupidity.
I forget this aspect sometimes, that is isn’t an abstract thing to test our black humor on, it is a real person. It is easy to forget.
I usually don’t get rattled by gory pictures in color or otherwise, but one that got to me was a pic of some guy “just after”. In the best “Hold muh beer” tradition, he put an M-80 fircracker in his mouth and lit it.
The frontal picture showed what looked like a red flower with petals splaying out in a circular pattern - and two eyes visible over the top. Photo too nasty to post.
It was a fairly expensive arrangement and I seldom made deliveries to trailer courts. When I got to the door, I could hear a woman screaming at her husband inside for forgetting her birthday. I knocked on the door and she came tearing out to answer it looking like an angry lion about to eat me alive. As soon as she saw the arrangement, she melted like a snow cone dropped on hot asphalt. "Oh honey. Your remembered!", she purred, as I handed her the arrangement and beat a hasty retreat.
Police identified the victim as Jesse William Burley, a 41-year-old father of two, who enjoyed life to its fullest,
When I see “enjoyed life to its fullest” I know it means substantial mulitple substance use.
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