18-Year-Old Dies After Firework Explodes In His Face

BROOKLYN PARK, MN — An 18-year-old man died after a firework exploded in his face, police said. The incident happened in the early morning hours of July 4 in Brooklyn Park.

On Monday at 1:30 a.m., Brooklyn Park police, fire, and paramedics responded to the 9800 block of Fallgold Parkway North on a report of a firework injury. At the scene, they found a man with severe wounds to his hands and face. His friend was performing CPR, officials said.

The man was transported to North Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Firework-related injuries have been on the rise in the United States, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The agency published a report last month that found between 2006 and 2021, injuries with fireworks climbed 25 percent in the nation.

In 2021, at least nine people died and 11,500 were injured due to fireworks, officials said.

Low-grade fireworks are legal in Minnesota. However, all exploding fireworks, and fireworks that go airborne, are outlawed from private use in the state.