Maine's entry for this year's DARWIN AWARDS...(shouldn't laugh, but can't help it - LOL!)

[Surya Gayatri]

Man dies instantly after shooting firework from top of his head

A 22-year-old man has died after he set off a fireworks mortar from the top of his head.

Devon Staples was celebrating the Fourth of July with friends in Calais, Maine, when he placed a reloadable motor tube on his head, set it off and died instantly.

Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, told the Bangor Daily News that Mr Staples had been drinking alcohol and that explosion immediately caused a fatal head injury.

“When he suggested he was going to do this, his friends gathered around him and they thought they had convinced him not to do it,” he said.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/man-dies-after-shooting-firework-from-top-of-his-head-10367677.html

[MADem]

1. Fireworks used to be illegal in Maine.

It's only in the past few years they've been legalized.

His town is almost into Canada. I'm guessing his family is devastated.

According to this article, he was goofing around, not intending to light the thing. He also was living and working in Orlando, FL--must have been home for the holiday or something...?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3150053/Police-Man-shoots-firework-head-dies.html

[Surya Gayatri]

2. Fireworks and booze - bad, bad combo...

I'm sure his family are devastated. Too bad one of them didn't save him from his own silliness.

[RKP5637]

3. Yep, exactly, "Fireworks and booze - bad, bad combo..."

I read someplace that his friends had thought they had talked him out of it as really stupid, but he was still screwing around and lit the fuse apparently more by accident than purposely. As you said, it's a bad combo!

[Jamastiene]

4. We are probably both going to Hell.

My first thought was why in the world would someone do something like that? That is just

I hate the guy is dead, but that was not a smart idea, at all.

[Surya Gayatri]

5. Talk about an "exploding head"...

Bad, Surya, bad...

[Gothmog]

6. I am sorry for this man's death but I am glad that he was not from Texas

[Surya Gayatri]

8. Yes, at least nobody can make silly southerner jokes...

[Gothmog]

12. Spoke too soon-this guy may be from Florida

This may lead to even more "Florida Man" stories

[Roland99]

7. former Disney cast member (Gaston character). His brother said he liked to pretend to do stuff

but not actually do it.

Alcohol and fireworks.

Never a good mix.

[Surya Gayatri]

9. Looks like he took the make-believe a little too far this time...

[yellowcanine]

10. Guess he wasn't paying attention during lesson on Newton's Third Law.

Newton's third law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.

[Surya Gayatri]

11. Maybe he failed Physics...

[Logical]

13. It is sick to me that the DU constantly posts about people dying and make fun of it. Disgusting. nt

[LiberalElite]

14. yes this has been posted all over DU eom

[ornotna]

15. I don't find the humor in this

Quite sad actually.

'I was the first one who got there. There was no rushing him to the hospital. There was no Devon left when I got there,' his brother said.

[arely staircase]

16. no. TEXAS WINS

http://fox6now.com/2015/07/04/man-killed-by-alligator-after-mocking-it-in-texas-bayou/

[City Lights]

17. He was from Florida. nt

[Solly Mack]

18. I get the feeling his friends gathered around him with their phones out.

Maybe I'm just being cynical.