Morbid Fact Du Jour For July 8, 2011
The best thing about the 4th of July? The 5th of July – when all the reports of self-inflicted trauma begin to trickle in. Such as…
Today’s Explosive Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
A Fourth of July fireworks accident decapitated a Fargo man (on Monday, July 4, 2011). Police identified the victim as Jesse William Burley, a 41-year-old father of two, who enjoyed life to its fullest, said Burley’s stepfather Chuck Asplin of Fargo. Chris Hanson, Burley’s neighbor who saw the accident, was packing up his car to leave north Fargo’s Riviera Heights mobile home park as tornado sirens sounded just before 9:30 p.m. Burley was getting ready to set off a second round of what Hanson said he believed was either a homemade or illegal artillery shell firework. “He went over into the middle of the street, and within 10 seconds of us talking to him, he lit it and all we saw was a cloud of smoke, a bang,” Hanson said. What Hanson saw next immediately sent him into shock, he said. “When I walked up to his body, it was nothing but his shoulders down,” Hanson said Tuesday. Police Lt. Joel Vettel said Tuesday police are confident the device was a commercial-grade firework, which are federally regulated. The area Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting Fargo police to investigate whether this type of firework was illegal and how it was obtained. Hanson said that on Monday evening Burley asked him over to his trailer to check out something. Burley showed Hanson fireworks that contained a warning that read, “If found please report to the U.S. government,” Hanson said. “Right there and then I knew that I had to get away because I was not going to be involved in that,” Hanson said. Burley ignited the first firework, which went off with a big bang but no injuries. “You could see the shock waves in the air,” Hanson said. An hour and a half later, Burley lit the fatal second firework. The accident should be used as an example of how dangerous fireworks can be, Hanson said. “I’m never going to light a firecracker off again in my life,” he said. Burley’s family remembered Jesse as a good-hearted kid, who would do anything for anybody, said Asplin, his stepfather and boss at Chuck’s Sandjacking in Fargo. Jesse Burley had a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old son who were not at his residence at the time of the accident. Fargo police recovered a third firework device in Burley’s home on Tuesday and a metal pipe near the accident site at the 3500 block of Kelley Street North that was reportedly used as a mortar to launch shells. “It appears that he was lighting the device off, and so we don’t feel that there were others involved in the incident at this point,” Vettel said. Burley’s body was sent to Bismarck for an autopsy. There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. Friday at Boulger Funeral Home in Fargo.
Culled from: Grand Forks Herald
Generously submitted by: mike
An autopsy? Really? That’s necessary?
All I can say is, thank goodness for human stupidity. It must be one of the highest causes of mortality. Without it, we’d really have an overpopulation problem.
Oh yeah. The autopsy may reveal if drugs or alcohol played a factor in Burley’s behavior. Or Mr. Burley may have suffered a catastrophic acute condition, such as cardiac arrest, immediately prior to the big bang. Rare, but it happens.
It’s kind of revealing that he was described, at 41, as a “good-hearted kid.” He evidently hadn’t grown up all the way.
The tornado sirens are sounding, the neighbors are getting out, and all he can think of to do is light off an illegal firework?
*sighs, lays head on desk*
I feel for his kids-glad they weren’t around for his ‘living life to the fullest’.
Too bad he has already bred and they’ve got half his stupid genes.
@Aimee
Well, 41 is a mere child, indeed, to SOME of us.
Aimee,
His stepfather was the one who described him on behalf of his family as a “good-hearted kid” I don’t find that as a sign he hadn’t grown up all the way. Families often describe the deceased in terms of their relationship with them. In this case, he was this guys stepson. My grandmother before her recent death referred to my aunt as “a good kid” when my aunt was well into her 50s. I don’t find that part odd at all… if it was something his neighbor said, yeah then i would find it revealing, and just downright creepy. Remember “good-hearted” doesnt always mean “bright”. Still in this case, i think the term “kid” was used not to imply immaturity, but in the terms a parent or step parent may describe a deceased child.
WOW U POS A-HOLES, HAVE U NO HEART OR RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE, THIS 41 YR OLD IS MY STEP BROTHER, HE WAS A SON A BROTHER A FATHER AND A FRIEND TO SO MANY, AND TO SEE F***ING PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET TALKING S*** ABOUT SOMEONE THEY DONT KNOW AND A SITUATION THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT, SURE AN AUTOPSY IS GOING TO BE DONE IN A TRAGIC ACCIDENT LIKE THIS CUZ OF THE SEVEREITY AND THE LEGALITY OF THE SITUATION, JESSE WOULD HAVE NEVER WROTE S*** LIKE THIS ABOUT SOMEONE THIS HAPPENED TO……MY EFFEN POINT IS THINK B4 U WRITE WHAT IF IT WAS U OR SOMEONE U KNEW UR SON UR BROTHER UR FRIEND UR BEST FRIEND AND MOST OF ALL WHAT IF IT WAS U WHO WAS STANDING RIGHT THERE WHEN HIS BODY FELL LIMP AND LIFELESS ON THE ROAD….THANKS FOR BEING SHALLOW PEOPLE!!!!!!!
“When I walked up to him, nothing was working from the shoulders on up.” – change a few words and it’s just another day in the trailer park.
@Angela Wow, I just realized I’m so shallow that I completely disregard any commentary by someone who uses the word ‘B4′ in a message, even if they are related to the Morbid Star Du Jour.
What makes this set of comments really unique is that Constantine made his observation after Angela’s, whose I cannot read because I can spell.
if this Angela really is the “victim’s” stepbrother, and you can claim to be just about anything on the internet, I’m sorry for her loss, but that doesn’t change things. We weren’t there, but the neighbor was and we have direct quotes from him so I would wager that we do know something about it all.
And I don’t give any particular consideration to the opinions or feelings of people who cannot express themselves without using a lot of pseudo-censored cussing and netspeak.