dbryceman Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Hey folks! This may have already been passed around on this site, so please forgive me if I am repeating an old post. I believe this occurred May 26, 2012. MINNESOTA "Nick Beheng, 31, survived a live mortar round shot into his chest, which prompted a bomb squad call to Regions Hospital, where he was being held at, before doctors could remove the firework." “I can’t think of a case where someone was impacted by an unexploded device that penetrated that deeply into their chest cavity.”-Commander Paul Sommer "Beheng was shooting illegal fireworks off in Linwood Township, Minnesota around 9 p.m. on Saturday. KARE-11 reports that he placed two mortar rounds in a tube and was holding the tube when the first round successfully shot out the top of the tube. The second round, however, came out of the tube’s bottom, which was pointed directly at the man’s chest." This caught my attention when I heard about the surgery on the radio. Anyway, I thought it might be a valuable tidbit for the safety topics... http://www.inquisitr.com/245192/nick-beheng-survives-live-mortar-round-stuck-in-chest/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algenco Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 anyone that would load 2 shell in a mortar , light the top one and hold it above his head probly is beyond learning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbryceman Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 Agreed, Algenco. Someone jumped in the gene pool while the lifeguard was on break. I just wish these cases didn't add up to more regulation and less edumacation, but it seems that is how it works. Ignorance has to be the most dangerous thing in pyrotechnics and government alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flying fish Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 I wouldn't have guessed that a shell could have that much momentum coming out of the *bottom* of the gun... but I guess anything's possible. I'd imagine the top shell acted as a "plug" to allow the bottom one to accelerate. It was obviously a stupid thing to do but it also seems like an uncommon/unlucky failure (that is, if I'm understanding the circumstances correctly) I do remember the "common failures demo" I saw in the PGI DOC course where they show that a 3/4" thick piece of plywood over a 2.5" gun barely even slows down the shell. It broke maybe 10 feet lower than an unobstructed shell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Sad to say but this happened in my neck of the woods and no, it will not lead to stricter laws but it sure wont help us get class-c fireworks legalized anytime soon. As I understand the story so far, Nick loaded two Excalibur (or similar) into the tube and lit one or both fuses, not sure yet. There may have been a perfect storm in that the first shell was upside down and the second was right side up. If so, the first shell was fired opposite of the second and with double the lift, it over pressurized the tube and blew out the plug. I have actually seen this done in HDPE as a safety lesson and it blows the plug out almost every time. Had the shell gone off like it should have, Nick would have been DOA. -dag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potassiumchlorate Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Sad to say but this happened in my neck of the woods and no, it will not lead to stricter laws but it sure wont help us get class-c fireworks legalized anytime soon. Don't be too sure about the laws not getting stricter. The authorities take every opportunity they get to amputate some more freedom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Don't be too sure about the laws not getting stricter. The authorities take every opportunity they get to amputate some more freedom. I really don't think so, at least not around here. There is a very powerful lobby behind fireworks sales here but there is an equally powerful group of fireworks re-sellers in the adjoining states that wish to keep it the way it is. The doctors and such only have the emotional side of the story and most people see right through the sack cloth and ashes they wear. -dag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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