On Thursday, July 4th, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s department responded to a distressing call at a home on Cottonwood Drive in Summerville, South Carolina.
According to Allen’s wife, Paige McGrew, speaking to The Post and Courier, her husband was dressed in a stars and stripes Uncle Sam outfit.
She described him as “holding this firework over his top hat” around 10:30 pm.
She soon realized “he had already lit it.” Despite her and others’ warnings, the firework went off.
He was declared dead at the scene at 11:10 pm.
In reflecting on the night, Paige mentioned that “everyone was drinking a little” at the party, although “Alan was not a drinker” and “didn’t drink regularly.”
She also shared that Allen had mentioned this Fourth of July party would be his last time drinking for a while.
Paige added, “Allen loved this holiday. He was a patriot, proud of his son, and was excited to have a new daughter-in-law. He was living his best life last night.”
Chelsea Burkett, a public information officer for Cal Fire’s Santa Clara Unit, urged residents to avoid setting off fireworks themselves because of the risks they pose, including starting fires.
While the fireworks that Allen used were legal, there have been additional cautions about the dangers of illegal fireworks.
Dr. Cliff Sheckter, the medical director of the Regional Burn Center at Valley Medical Center, highlighted the risks:
“We see this every year. Unfortunately, these types of injuries are not reparable in most circumstances and that obviously is life-altering.”
