Boone Co. man dies from firework injury

FLORENCE, Ky. (WTVQ) — A Boone County man died after a “traumatic” injury involving a firework on the Fourth of July.

According to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, deputies arrived at a home in the 200 block of Melinda Lane where they found a man had died from injuries sustained from attempting to light a commercial-grade firework from a homemade mortar tube.

Brian Simpson, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The firework was designed for electronic detonation, however, Simpson had cut the wick in half, deputies said. As the firework was lit it immediately exploded causing the fatal injuries.

The sheriff’s office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; Florence Fire Department Investigation Team and the Boone County Coroner’s Office assisted at the scene.