Needs more burning corpses.

Freak accidents like that amaze me. What are the odds of anything like that going wrong when you're setting off a series rockets carrying explosives? I guess it just goes to show you that no matter what you do in life, there is always some minuscule, infinitesimal element of risk that can't be completely eliminated. Am I right? They know exactly what I'm talking about down on the beach in Louisiana.

That could not have happened in Maple Valley. A strict ordinance forbids symphonies. Live or recorded, doesn't matter. Only exception: the strings from "Kashmir".

Too bad we've got no reliable YouTube for Hiroshima, August, 1945. My mushroom cloud beats your genetically-impaired Roman candle.

That made my butt clench. It's like those skateboarder videos where some kid falls on a railing, crushing his nads.

First of all, those are light sperm.

Second, the dumb ass aims his camera down at the worst possible moment. Nice footage of your shoes, jerk.

My parents were there. Might explain the call last night.

@5
http://pix.motivatedphotos.com/2009/1/2/…

Where is Palmyra?

Upstate NY.

What is Google?

@6, love your new icon. Just Wright.

Dan,
That has "Fail" written all over it.

Unfortunately, accidents like this happen every year and are difficult to completely avoid. Without knowing details I can't say exactly what happens, but it appears that one shell (@2 - they are aerial shells, not rockets) on a finale string blew in the tube, damaging the rack so that it was pointing in an unsafe direction while fuses to other shells were still burning. This is every pyrotechnician's nightmare. There are ways to minimize risk, but it can never be 100% eliminated without being so far away that you might as well watch the show on TV. This stuff is still made by hand, so failures are always possible (and would still happen with automated construction, which is probably decades away at best).

We had a few low breaks in my show, but nothing that put the audience in any danger thanks to distance requirements.

Hope everyone had fun and safe 4th despite the rain.

LOL @2... so true.

There is a Palmyra, NY, but this incident occurred in Palmyra, PA.

These explosions are like the sort that used to happen in Nazi Germany. The person who set up the display is a modern-day Hitler. I'd die before I'd let this happen in MY backyard.

Also, how did we get through two posts on fireworks without a link to this:

http://gothamist.com/2010/07/05/doctors_…

@6, Yes this could have been amazing footage but the guy screws up by taking cover.

First rule of fireworks photography, always keep the camera rolling and pointed at the action even in the event of death by fireworks.

poor little sperms getting all blown up like that.