Allen Ray McGrew, South Carolina dad dressed as Uncle Sam kills self after attempting to set off fireworks on top hat he was wearing during 4th of July celebrations in Summerville, Dorchester County. Man was killed instantly.
A South Carolina father captured on video dancing a jig during 4th of July celebrations was killed yesterday when the man unwittingly moments later attempted to set off fireworks on top of an Uncle Sam hat he was wearing.
Allen Ray McGrew, 41, had been celebrating the 4th of July on Thursday evening at a neighborhood block party in Summerville, Dorchester County when tragedy struck.
Dressed as folklore hero, Uncle Sam, footage captured by his wife Paige showed McGrew dancing a jig in his full festive outfit while celebrating America’s Independence Day.
Killed instantly
But tragedy was moments away.
Horrified witnesses told of seeing McGraw placing a large firework on the top hat he was wearing, before lighting it – causing the device to explode.
McGrew’s wife told deputies she believed he placed the firework on his head to ‘show off’ and was drunk at the time WCBD reported.
The HVAC worker was found laying dead in the road by deputies who rushed to the scene after the party came to an abrupt end just on 10.30 p.m.
The local coroner’s office said that the exploding device had caused massive head trauma that killed McGrew instantly, WRAL reported.
Speaking with the Post and Courier, his wife Paige said she had been telling him to stop playing with the firework when it erupted.
NEW: South Carolina dad dies of massive head trauma after putting a lit firework on his head while dressed as Uncle Sam during July 4 celebrations
Allen Ray McGrew, 41, was celebrating the 4th of July at a block party in Summerville, Dorchester County
Witnesses reported that… pic.twitter.com/iFyPHh8v9f
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Fireworks accidents and deaths
Said Paige: ‘He was holding this firework over his top hat. I thought he was just showboating before he set it on the ground. I didn’t realize he had already lit it.’
Paige added that her husband had worked hard, played hard, and died during his favorite holiday.
‘Allen loved this holiday’, the wife said. ‘He was a patriot, he was proud of his son and he was excited to have a new daughter-in-law. He was living his best life last night.’
Paige said her husband had planned to stop drinking for a while, adding: ‘Alan was not a drinker. Everyone was drinking a little last night, but he didn’t drink regularly.’
In Dorchester County, fireworks are permitted on July 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on July 5, according to local ordinance. Dorchester County Sheriff’s Lt. Chaz Easterlin said the firework involved in McGrew’s death was legal according to the Post and Courier.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2023 received eight reports of fireworks related death and 9,700 injuries. Out of the eight deaths, five were associated with firework misuse, two with a device malfunction and one with unknown circumstances, according to the commission.
The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office and Dorchester County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate the incident.
