PARK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WWMT) — A woman in Michigan was fatally pierced by flying shrapnel from a firework explosion on Tuesday, police said.
Jana Daniels, 41, died after a piece of the explosion entered her chest cavity, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office and Captain Jake Sparks.
An individual brought a device to a Park Township Fourth of July celebration that was not a commercial firework and was not meant to explode, deputies said.
It was described as a "vehicle to launch the firework," according to Sparks. He believes there was a failure to the device that led to the explosion.
Metal pieces went airborne around 11 p.m., killing Daniels, injuring nine others and damaging houses and vehicles, the sheriff's office said.
Pieces as small as a pea and as large as your fist. It was very dangerous," Sparks said. "... I don't think anyone created this device to cause harm or to explode. I think it was an accidental explosion."At least five of the victims have been treated and released from area hospitals. Other victims remain hospitalized awaiting surgery and proper treatment, but are expected to survive, Sparks said.
The injuries were mainly to the extremities and included mostly soft tissue injuries, the sheriff's office said.
Witnesses described the blast as an explosion that "shook the entire neighborhood."
At least five vehicles and three homes were also damaged due to the blast, with some fragments passing through walls and windows, deputies said.
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