A man has died in a tragic firework accident after a mortar shell exploded inside of a firework tube, sending shrapnel into the man’s body and killing him on-site.
Authorities said they discovered the victim, 41-year-old Steven E. Sims of Hartford City, Indiana, with serious abdominal injuries when they arrived.
In this case, toxicology findings are also awaiting, and the autopsy results will establish the ultimate cause and manner of death, according to Zahm.
The circumstances surrounding Sims’ death are still being investigated.