The Observation Deck

Story Updated

While many of us went down to Lake Road for the parade!


Council candidate Meghan George with a big crew.

And returned later that night for the fireworks.



Just as the fireworks were ending and the many backyard and front yard celebrations started, there was a loud boom just east of Summit Avenue on Lake Road.

A man described in his 50s was lighting one of two mortars he claimed was equal to two sticks of dynamite. and somehow one came back, blowing off his left hand, striping the right arm to the bones, and severely damaging a leg. Lakewood Fire was there quickly, and with the help of a police escort took him to Metro Burn Unit. Where he was in serious but stable condition.

Today we have learned, they have amputated the rest of his left hand. Saved his right hand and arm. He broke his femur, and blew a hole so large in his leg it is still bleeding and being worked on. A friend at the party said, "He had blown one of these off a couple years ago, and everyone was begging him to do it again. I left early, I know them both and they are devastated."

Luckily there was a paramedic and a nurse at a party two doors away, and they came running. "Had they not been there, with quick thinking and action, we might have lost him."

Police were needed to escort the ambulance, because it happened exactly at the wrong time of day. All fireworks shows letting out, Tribe game letting out, and holiday traffic.


Police at the scene late into the night and morning.

A person nearby grabbed an Observer, borrowing their "Ain't Life Great" t-shirt using it as a tourniquet to stop bleeding. Others helped.

One person who saw it said, "It was like a war zone, like an IED had gone off.

This morning police returned to look for body parts and evidence. Backyards, roofs, driveways were inspected. Some pieces were found two houses away.

This could have been worse.

Leave fireworks to professionals. Enjoy the day.

Great work Lakewood Fire and Police Department.

I don't really understand a 50 year old man setting off m-80s. Those are made for 15 year olds to blow up their G.I. Joes not for setting off in your front yard while thousands of people walk by on their way home. I'm thankful he only hurt himself and not anyone else.

I've never understood people that bring their own fireworks to a professional show.
It happened all the time at Edgewater Park in the 1970s.....

I definitely feel for him and his family. Totally, agree. Please leave fireworks to the professionals.

We were at the Indians' game last night and their fireworks were incredible (not the Indians' bats, but the fireworks after the loss).

If anyone has not done it, it is amazing to be in the upper deck walkway of Progressive Field and watch the fireworks all over Cuyahoga/Summit county. We counted over 40 different cities going off at once around 10.15 or so.

A man described in his 50s was lighting one of two mortars he claimed was equal to two sticks of dynamite.

Ah. So it wasn't an m-80 he was trying to, perhaps, light in his hand and toss, but a normal tube mortar that's supposed to shoot up into the sky. Now it sounds like much more of an unfortunate accident than somebody foolishly trying to scare/blow everyone's eardrums out on their walk back home.

todd vainisi wrote:

A man described in his 50s was lighting one of two mortars he claimed was equal to two sticks of dynamite.

Ah. So it wasn't an m-80 he was trying to, perhaps, light in his hand and toss, but a normal tube mortar that's supposed to shoot up into the sky. Now it sounds like much more of an unfortunate accident than somebody foolishly trying to scare/blow everyone's eardrums out on their walk back home.

I would not characterize what happened as an "accident" when you have purposefully ignored safety considerations and legal issues when you chose to purchase and use devices that have such potential to cause harm.

Isn't that part of the reason they are illegal?

I'm not proud of my reaction to this story. You see, I have two companions who are scared to death by the freelance fireworks this time of year. When one goes off near us when we're walking, it spooks them and enrages me. I'm trying to muster some sympathy, but it's hard.

Also I understand that military veterans with PTSD have a similar reaction:
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/07/ ... rans-ptsd/

The big fireworks shows can be coped with. Close the windows, put on the a/c, put on some loud classical music, put a thunder shirt on the one who is particularly afraid, give them some benedryl. I know what's coming, what to expect and can walk down to Lakewood Park to enjoy the professional show.

But if not for the sake of your neighbors and dogs, for the sake of the people who have fought for our country, don't put on your own fireworks show. We live too close together in Lakewood for this.

todd vainisi wrote:

A man described in his 50s was lighting one of two mortars he claimed was equal to two sticks of dynamite.

Ah. So it wasn't an m-80 he was trying to, perhaps, light in his hand and toss, but a normal tube mortar that's supposed to shoot up into the sky. Now it sounds like much more of an unfortunate accident than somebody foolishly trying to scare/blow everyone's eardrums out on their walk back home.

Todd


Story gets worse.

I get a call from another Observer, this one had been at the party and started with, "Did you hear about my friend's accident..."

I asked what the deal was and he explained. That a couple years ago this guy set a couple of these off, and it so freaked him out, he stopped. This year his friends asked about the big mortars from a couple years ago, and he mentioned he had some but would not light them. Friends being friends they persisted until he went and got them.

Life can change so quickly.

I hope he gets on with his life, and wish him better luck in the future.

.

More to ponder.

The shells were 4" mortar shells of professional quality.


If you notice, there are at least two charges in each one, some have more than one. The first shoot the shell up, the second sends the chemicals out on fire, sometimes there are as many as ten charges.

Lakewood's fireworks are generally 6" shells.

This page has a practical demonstration of fireworks from 2" - 48"

https://viralityfacts.com/entertainment ... o-biggest/

Feel free to discuss...

todd vainisi wrote:I don't really understand a 50 year old man setting off m-80s. Those are made for 15 year olds to blow up their G.I. Joes not for setting off in your front yard while thousands of people walk by on their way home. I'm thankful he only hurt himself and not anyone else.

Mr. Vainisi,
I don't care what you really understand or what you don't really understand.
I don't care if you played with G.I Joes or if you blew them up in your front yard.
This man made a tragic mistake.
His left hand has been amputated. His right hand and arm severely injured.
This is a moment for compassion and concern for him and his family.
This is not the moment for your judgmental crap.

m buckley wrote:

todd vainisi wrote: I'm thankful he only hurt himself and not anyone else.

Mr. Vainisi,
I don't care what you really understand or what you don't really understand.
I don't care if you played with G.I Joes or if you blew them up in your front yard.
This man made a tragic mistake.
His left hand has been amputated. His right hand and arm severely injured.
This is a moment for compassion and concern for him and his family.
This is not the moment for your judgmental crap.

I am also grateful no one else was injured by his unlawful actions but am sick of people feeling no judgement can be made when someone is harmed while violating a law. It's more than a tragic mistake, it was also a crime. When I was a child my neighbor blew off a finger with a simple firecracker and I will never forget his screams. He taught us a lesson every year, showing us his stub, and telling us to stay away from fireworks. I've had property damaged from stray fireworks. For whatever reason, this continued unlawful behavior is set aside by many. Veterans suffering from PTSD are dismissed and told to get over it. Animals terrified, who cares.

I feel for all involved and hope this is a learning moment for all, but they were technically engaged in criminal behavior. And just like reckless gun owners, need to be held responsible.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:More to ponder.

The shells were 4" mortar shells of professional quality.


If you notice, there are at least two charges in each one, some have more than one. The first shoot the shell up, the second sends the chemicals out on fire, sometimes there are as many as ten charges.

Lakewood's fireworks are generally 6" shells.

This page has a practical demonstration of fireworks from 2" - 48"

https://viralityfacts.com/entertainment ... o-biggest/

Feel free to discuss...

Thanks, Jim. Very informative.
What I take away from it is these are very sophisticated explosive devices meant for professionals. Even the smaller ones are dangerous.

What I don't get is the "for your next party" perspective of the video, which seems to promote them to the novice. But it does help my understanding.

Mr. Vainisi,
I don't care what you really understand or what you don't really understand.
I don't care if you played with G.I Joes or if you blew them up in your front yard.
This man made a tragic mistake.
His left hand has been amputated. His right hand and arm severely injured.
This is a moment for compassion and concern for him and his family.
This is not the moment for your judgmental crap.

Mr./Ms. Buckley,

My judgemental crap will not deny him care or save him from his tragedy. Your compassion is equally fruitless - have you been down to the hospital to see this man and let him know how sorry you feel about it? This man, goaded by friends to repeat a foolish decision of years ago, endangered a crapload of people, and yes, I'm thankful no one else, especially innocent passersby, were hurt. If I could wave my hand and undo his actions for him, I would. Unless I only got to do that once, and then maybe I use it to save someone who wasn't recklessly endangering their own life and that of those around them.

I'm a good friend of the family and was there within an hour to secure the house and dog. I'm still quite emotional about what happened but i'll try to tell you what i can, at the risk of opening myself up to criticism or compromising any investigation.

Thank you so much to those of you showing compassion at this time. Like most of these things, there's a lot more to the story then is being portrayed (more on that later). Here's what i can tell you. I received a text at 10:18pm, from the wife of the injured man, that they were in the ambulance and he was badly wounded. I arrived on my bicycle at their house at about 11pm. I identified myself to the authorities and went inside to check on the dog. 20 or 30 police and fire personnel were searching the yard with flashlights and officers were interviewing several witnesses including a friend of the family who was an eyewitness. As you can imagine, she was very traumatized by what she had seen and her descriptions were so graphic i had to stop her several times. My next concern was assisting the police in searching the premises for any other devices. I led them through the house and they did a cursory exam of each room while asking me questions. Nothing else was located.

Now, let me tell you, the wife of this man was absolutely begging him not to light off this device, police have identified it as a silver chrysanthemum. I know this to be true because I had been there several years ago when he lit one off (or something similar), unbeknownst to us, and have had the discussion with him several times since to dissuade him from doing it again. Please do not accuse me of making excuses, nobody in there right mind would condone a dangerous stunt like this. I'd like to think that if I was there I would've stopped him but I HONESTLY can't say how far i would've gone. Like i said, he had lit one off without me even knowing years earlier. We all probably know people who do stupid things that we cannot control. Would I have called the police on him? Probably not. I can tell you I would have made my voice heard loud and clear. I may have even tried to physically stop him but i can't say for sure. What I can say for sure is, we are living in a time where trying to reason with people falls on deaf ears sometimes. We are also living in a time where people are afraid to speak up and call out this type of behavior.

Yes, it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. We need to get beyond the obvious and talk about "real life" behavior. Here's an aspect of the story that I've already seen play out. Ch 19 ran a story quoting an "anonymous" neighbor saying how fearful they were when he was lighting it. Problem is, they did a poor job of shielding her identity and I know for a fact that just before he lit it she yelled "Do it (insert name)". Multiple people confirmed this and she was the only other female there who knew his name. You can imagine how shook up she was when it happened. I point this out because it gets to the heart of the issue, personal accountability. Everyones. Admit you could've done more to stop it if that's the case, don't embellish your story because of your guilt. In my opinion, it sounds like he and others got caught up in the group mentality and were egging him on. Again, not an excuse but an important aspect, which brings me to another thing.

I completely understand why people are angry about this (and so does his wife) but there is no form of punishment you can give this man that will further deter him or others from doing this again. Nobody is saying he should be shielded from justice but he's still lying in his hospital bed and I'm not even sure he's aware of this injuries yet. His wife is horrified that this happened and has a lot to process but believe me, preventing this type of behavior in the future is one of them. That's what i think we need to talk about. How do these things happen and how do we prevent them?

Lastly, let me tell you a little about this couple. The man is an extremely generous, hard working person. I've seen him drop everything to help out families or businesses that had emergencies. He has three sisters that are devastated by what has happened. He and his wife were in the parade earlier in the day to celebrate/promote a semi-autobiographical movie that she made in 2015. It's about her moving on in NYC after her first husband was killed in a tragic automobile accident (true). It ends with her moving to Lakewood and meeting her current husband. Very heartwarming. Several scenes were shot in and around Lakewood in what I can tell you is a very well produced film. She's very proud of this city and would never do anything to intentionally harm it.

Thanks for reading, I'll try to update in the coming days.

John LePlae wrote:I'm a good friend of the family and was there within an hour to secure the house and dog. I'm still quite emotional about what happened but i'll try to tell you what i can, at the risk of opening myself up to criticism or compromising any investigation.

Thank you so much to those of you showing compassion at this time. Like most of these things, there's a lot more to the story then is being portrayed (more on that later). Here's what i can tell you. I received a text at 10:18pm, from the wife of the injured man, that they were in the ambulance and he was badly wounded. I arrived on my bicycle at their house at about 11pm. I identified myself to the authorities and went inside to check on the dog. 20 or 30 police and fire personnel were searching the yard with flashlights and officers were interviewing several witnesses including a friend of the family who was an eyewitness. As you can imagine, she was very traumatized by what she had seen and her descriptions were so graphic i had to stop her several times. My next concern was assisting the police in searching the premises for any other devices. I led them through the house and they did a cursory exam of each room while asking me questions. Nothing else was located.

Now, let me tell you, the wife of this man was absolutely begging him not to light off this device, police have identified it as a silver chrysanthemum. I know this to be true because I had been there several years ago when he lit one off (or something similar), unbeknownst to us, and have had the discussion with him several times since to dissuade him from doing it again. Please do not accuse me of making excuses, nobody in there right mind would condone a dangerous stunt like this. I'd like to think that if I was there I would've stopped him but I HONESTLY can't say how far i would've gone. Like i said, he had lit one off without me even knowing years earlier. We all probably know people who do stupid things that we cannot control. Would I have called the police on him? Probably not. I can tell you I would have made my voice heard loud and clear. I may have even tried to physically stop him but i can't say for sure. What I can say for sure is, we are living in a time where trying to reason with people falls on deaf ears sometimes. We are also living in a time where people are afraid to speak up and call out this type of behavior.

Yes, it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. We need to get beyond the obvious and talk about "real life" behavior. Here's an aspect of the story that I've already seen play out. Ch 19 ran a story quoting an "anonymous" neighbor saying how fearful they were when he was lighting it. Problem is, they did a poor job of shielding her identity and I know for a fact that just before he lit it she yelled "Do it (insert name)". Multiple people confirmed this and she was the only other female there who knew his name. You can imagine how shook up she was when it happened. I point this out because it gets to the heart of the issue, personal accountability. Everyones. Admit you could've done more to stop it if that's the case, don't embellish your story because of your guilt. In my opinion, it sounds like he and others got caught up in the group mentality and were egging him on. Again, not an excuse but an important aspect, which brings me to another thing.

I completely understand why people are angry about this (and so does his wife) but there is no form of punishment you can give this man that will further deter him or others from doing this again. Nobody is saying he should be shielded from justice but he's still lying in his hospital bed and I'm not even sure he's aware of this injuries yet. His wife is horrified that this happened and has a lot to process but believe me, preventing this type of behavior in the future is one of them. That's what i think we need to talk about. How do these things happen and how do we prevent them?

Lastly, let me tell you a little about this couple. The man is an extremely generous, hard working person. I've seen him drop everything to help out families or businesses that had emergencies. He has three sisters that are devastated by what has happened. He and his wife were in the parade earlier in the day to celebrate/promote a semi-autobiographical movie that she made in 2015. It's about her moving on in NYC after her first husband was killed in a tragic automobile accident (true). It ends with her moving to Lakewood and meeting her current husband. Very heartwarming. Several scenes were shot in and around Lakewood in what I can tell you is a very well produced film. She's very proud of this city and would never do anything to intentionally harm it.

Thanks for reading, I'll try to update in the coming days.

John,

Thank you very much for your detailed account of the events. I totally agree with you that these types of stories are not always portrayed accurately. Personally, I am borderline disgusted by some of the comments I have seen here and elsewhere in regards to this incident.

I am also in agreement with your comment in regards to the fact that no further punishment will further deter the gentleman from doing this again.

The simple fact is that prohibition is ineffective. The "War on Drugs" is a failure. Alcohol prohibition in the 1920's was a failure. The "War on Fireworks" will not stop everyone from using fireworks. Good people make mistakes. Anyone that claims they have never broken a law, stolen anything, or otherwise done anything wrong is lying, plain and simple. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

John, I will continue to pray for your friend and his family. I know that your friend faces a long recovery. The best thing for all of us to do is to keep him in our thoughts and prayers, and to help the family in any way possible.