Texas Man Dies After Lighting Firework On Chest
Lots of Darwin awards being handed out this past week. We have our second reported death by fireworks incident.
Police say a Texas mailman died this week after lighting a firework on his chest while partying with friends.
Justin Bartek, 30, from Columbus, Texas and some friends were shooting off fireworks around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Dollar Hole, a popular fishing spot on the Colorado River.
Bartek said to friends, “I dare myself to shoot this (firework) off my chest.”
“Go for it, I guess,” a friend reportedly said.
Witnesses told investigators that Bartek ignited a tube-type firework called the Medieval Knight on his chest and then suffered critical injuries, according to KTRK. He shortly thereafter at a local hospital.
Bartek left behind a girlfriend of 10 years and a 3-year-old son.
A GoFundMe campaign has been setup by friends and family to cover Bartek’s funeral expenses.
Bartek’s friend said she will really miss seeing his smiling face as he worked his mail-route.
“He was the light of many people’s lives and the world to the people that knew him, and he would give the world to any that asked,” Jackson said. “But I wish he wouldn’t have lit that firework off his chest.”