Jessica McLean
The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
(MCT)
Feb. 25—FRANKFORT — A 28-year-old Frankfort man died after he lit a firework and it exploded around 10 p.m. on Tuesday on the ice of Crystal Lake near Bellows Road, according to a Benzie County Sheriff’s Department press release.
Benzie县治安官凯尔罗莎说男人点燃了mortar — which is an artillery firework that is placed into a tube and fired as a single shot — and it exploded, instantly killing him.
A 27-year-old Frankfort man was also critically injured in the explosion and airlifted from Munson Medical Center, where he was rushed to via EMS and initially examined, to a Grand Rapids hospital.
Rosa said the man sustained burns and some fragmentation injuries from the explosion but, as far as he knew, was stable as of Thursday afternoon.
The men were gathered on the ice with a small group of people to set off fireworks to honor a deceased friend. No other injuries were reported.
Dr. Lois Goslinoski, the medical examiner for Benzie and Manistee County’s regional medical examiner’s office, is examining the 28-year-old man’s body, Rosa said, but no official cause of death has been released.
Benzie County law enforcement personnel are still investigating and questioning the small group of people to figure out why and how the incident happened, Rosa said.
Rosa also said many from the group are Frankfort and Benzie County residents, which are tight-knit communities now grieving the man’s death. He said especially when someone young dies like this, it affects the entire community.
“Obviously, there’s an emotional attachment to the reason (the small group of people) were there to begin with and those same folks that were affected by that person’s death are now going to be negatively impacted by this latest event,” Rosa said.
Rosa has been in contact with the family to follow up on the incident.
“And, our hearts go out to their loss. We’re saddened by this event,” he said.
Follow Jessica McLean for more stories at @journalistjam on Twitter.
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