Allen McGrew, 41, was enjoying his favorite holiday on July 4 when he placed a large firework on his top hat to show off, according to his wife.
“I thought he was just showboating before he set it on the ground. I didn’t realize he had already lit it,” Paige McGrew explained. She was trying to tell him to stop when the firework went off and he collapsed.
The coroner said the explosion caused massive head injuries and McGrew would have died immediately.
Allen had been looking forward to adding a daughter to the family and to celebrating his son’s engagement.
'Allen loved this holiday', she added. 'He was a patriot, he was proud of his son and he was excited to have a new daughter-in-law. He was living his best life last night.'
Mrs. McGrew said Allen was not a drinker. Everyone was drinking a little on that evening, but Allen did not drink regularly.
According to Paige, Allen told his son Hunter on the night of the incident that this Independence Day celebration would be their official father-son blowout to celebrate the upcoming wedding day and his engagement. Then he planned to stop drinking for a while.
