Important safety tip - load mortar tube right side up.

"CHERAW, S.C. - One person was killed and another seriously injured in Cheraw, South Carolina Wednesday night while shooting off fireworks, according to police.

Officers said a 24-year-old man died when an artillery shell hit him in the chest.

Authorities told Channel 9 that M.C. Gallion III was with friends shooting off fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations at the Dizzy Gillespie Apartments.

Investigators said the group was apparently holding mortar shell launch tubes in their hands and shooting them off. Police said one shell was likely put in backward and burst out the bottom of the tube, hitting Gallion in the chest.

Police said an hour earlier, another person from the same group lost part of his hand in a similar accident and was taken to Charleston for surgery."

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First guy loses part of his hand, no problem, let's keep firing.

No mention of an investigation as to how they came to have mortars?

quote:

Originally posted by mikeyspizza:

Police said an hour earlier, another person from the same group lost part of his hand in a similar accident and was taken to Charleston for surgery."

And an hour earlier they were probably less drunk too. Remind me never to party with this "group."

quote:

No mention of an investigation as to how they came to have mortars?

They're fireworks. Probably perfectly legal.

Those mortars are serious business.

A few years back I had a few leftover from a previous year but I wasn't able to find the launch tube that came w/ them.
I thought I had an appropriate substitute but just in case, made sure I stepped inside after lighting one. It went up, sort of, and came right back down to the deck and detonated, cracking a deck board.

quote:

Police said an hour earlier, another person from the same group lost part of his hand in a similar accident and was taken to Charleston for surgery."

What are the odds.

Right up there with the lions eating the poachers...... Karma! Do stupid things pay stupid price!

quote:

Officers said a 24-year-old man died when an artillery shell hit him in the chest.

Investigators said the group was apparently holding mortar shell launch tubes in their hands and shooting them off.

Ah...there's the problem! Never place an artillery shell in a mortar tube.

“Police said an hour earlier, another person from the same group lost part of his hand in a similar accident and was taken to Charleston for surgery.”

Sometimes Darwin gives subtle warnings, but duller members of the herd fail to take heed...

"Hey y'all...watch this!"

24 years old. It's a wonder he lived this long being so stupid.

I have zero desire to be within 100 yards of one of these. Watched one across our slough last night come out of tube and explore at about 10' altitude.

yeah, no.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
"Hey y'all...watch this!"

Hey, Junior hold my beer.

Wow one persons blows up their hand requiring surgery and another done kills hisself with a mortar, in the span of an hour. Some real fucking rocking surgeons in that group.

all of the mortars I've shot off (not an insubstantial amount) have been round and not possible to "put in backwards."

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:
Those mortars are serious business.

A few years back I had a few leftover from a previous year but I wasn't able to find the launch tube that came w/ them.
I thought I had an appropriate substitute but just in case, made sure I stepped inside after lighting one. It went up, sort of, and came right back down to the deck and detonated, cracking a deck board.

quote:

Police said an hour earlier, another person from the same group lost part of his hand in a similar accident and was taken to Charleston for surgery."

What are the odds.

IN-COMING!

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
all of the mortars I've shot off (not an insubstantial amount) have been round and not possible to "put in backwards."

Yeah, more likely he held it level and backwards against his chest.

Darwin 1-1/2, Idiots - 0

Skipped step #1.

We fire them off most every year, I attach the mortar tubes to a 2/4 with a couple of short legs flat against the board so it's stable and won't tip, put some blocks on the shorter extensions to hold it steady,

Those double and triple shells have some power, they shake the ground when they leave, it's possible for someone to put one in upside down when it's dark, and you have some kind of substance in your system.

Holding a tube up to the chest was a dumb move, these things are chinlee made explosives, shit can go wrong even if you do everything correct.

We'd have upwards of 6 to 8 tubes on a single board with jumper fuse wire running down the board to light one after the other, beats running up and back to light each one...

Apparently alcohol and stupid doesn’t mix any better with fireworks than it does with firearms.

I know several guys who have bars/lounges in their hangars. The thing is, none of them ever open the bar before the airplane is secured for the day. Some things just don’t mix with alcohol.

The Dizzy Gillespie Apartments?
A desirable address in Cheraw, no doubt!

quote:

Originally posted by mikeyspizza:

Authorities told Channel 9 that M.C. Gallion III was with friends shooting off fireworks during Fourth of July celebrations at the Dizzy Gillespie Apartments.

I'm wondering if M.C. Gallion I & II did such things. Given the age of III, is there a M.C. Gallion IV to make the news in about 20 years?

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
all of the mortars I've shot off (not an insubstantial amount) have been round and not possible to "put in backwards."

Well, I did about 3.5 years in a mortar platoon, way back when. And yes, you could drop a round backwards into the tube. Nothing happens. You just have to tilt the tube and let the round slide out.