JULY 4 FAIL

Cops: California Man Dies After Letting Off Fourth of July Firework in His Hand

It was a “high powered, mortar type, aerial firework,” officials said.

A man from a Los Angeles suburb has succumbed to severe torso injuries after lighting an illegal firework in a front lawn on the Fourth of July, city officials said in a Tuesday news release. Police in Montebello got a call around 6:30 p.m. about a 42-year-old man injured from setting off what they said was a “high powered, mortar type, aerial firework” in his hands. He later died in a hospital. “This tragic accident and death was avoidable and serves as an unfortunate and grim reminder of the danger posed by illegal and high power fireworks,” the city said in its release. In a separate but similar incident the same day, another man from a Los Angeles suburb suffered burns and lacerations on his arms and face after a firework exploded in his face, police said. He was taken to a hospital, where is expected to recover.