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Man Killed After Firework Struck His Face In Gage Park

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jul 5, 2017 3:45PM

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Photo via Tony Webster on Flickr

A 42-year-old man died after he was injured in the face while handling a firework on the Fourth of July in Gage Park, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

David Griffin was hit in the face by the firework at around 9:30 p.m. in an alley in the 2500 block of West 54th Street, police said. Griffin was in the alley with his children when he leaned over to inspect a firework—which was lit, but hadn't initially go off—when it suddenly popped, according to the Tribune. He was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Two men also suffered critical injuries in separate incidents after fireworks went off in their hands on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, according to reports.