Devon Staples: Man Dies Lighting Fireworks On His Head
A man is dead after a fireworks accident Saturday night.
According to reports, 22-year-old Devon Staples died instantly when he put a fireworks mortar on his head and set it off, said Maine Public Safety Spokesperson Steve McCausland.
McCausland says Staples had been drinking with friends at a home on South Street in Calais Saturday night. The incident occurred at approximately 10 p.m.
His brother Cody Staples saw the horrific incident from just five feet away.
He told the New York Daily Times it was a freak event and Devon had been holding a lighter which made it go off “by accident.”
He said: “I was the first one who got there. There was no rushing him to the hospital. There was no Devon left when I got there.
“It was a freak accident. But Devon was not the kind of person who would do something stupid. He was the kind of person who would pretend to do something stupid to make people laugh.”
Cody said: “He loved making people happy.
“Anyone who would want to give a tribute to Devon should go out and do something nice for someone. Show some love to someone you don’t know. That kid was all about showing people love.
“He was someone everyone should want to be like when they grow up. He was my younger brother and I looked up to him.”
Disney prince: Cody said that his brother Devon lived in Orlando, Florida where he worked as a dog walker and where he also worked at Disney World as an actor. He would play characters like Gaston (left) from Beauty and the Beast and entertain children as a variety of other personalities
State officials say this is the first death attributed to fireworks since Maine legalized them two years ago.
Investigators said there were non-fatal injuries from private fireworks incidents in Friendship, Lebanon, Jefferson, Woodstock and a separate incident in Calais. McCausland said those injuries consisted of burns and eye injuries.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission 11 people died in fireworks-related accidents in 2014, while there were eight fatalities in 2013.
Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before one of his stunts backfired. According to his brother, he wouldn’t “do” anything stupid, he would just “pretend” to do something stupid to make people laugh. RIP and my condolences to his parents.
I feel absolutely ill for the family and friends; particularly the brother who was right there at the time. How awful.
what a jackass.. I don’t feel sorry .. LOL
Most of us have done stupid things! 1960 I was 10 and some friends and I broke into a Dynamite shack at a sand and gravel site. Took 3 sticks and some caps and decided to blow up a tree! We placed the sticks inside a hole in the tree that as on an hill leaning over a creek. We lit the fuse and ran like he ll…. The explosive was huge as we all ending up face down in the dirt and I could hear a thing. The tree came down as did the hill which clogged up the creek and cause it to reroute itself. When I got home I was covered in dirt head to toe. My mother said “What did you and gary do now” She said the house rattled thinking it was a sonic boom till she saw us.
My dad lit the wrong end on the fuse on a large sized mortar one year and it exploded instantly without delay. He was lucky to live and only suffer burns to the side of his face. Fireworks are explosives and things can go wrong very quickly. Be safe people
I don’t drink much or often because of incidents like this. If you drink at all, please don’t be critical of this young man – it’s far too easy to lose one’s perspective and make a mistake while under the influence, and even one drink is enough to affect one’s ability to think. This is terrible and tragic, and if you want to say anything negative, say it to your kids in an effort to impress on them how dangerous alcohol can be. My condolences to the family, and may this poor soul rest in peace.
« Devon had been holding a lighter which made it go off “by accident.” »
… riiiiiiiight.
he hadn’t lit the lighter. he hadn’t lit the lighter then put it up to his head. he hadn’t lit the lighter then put it up to his head near the firework and its fuse. he was just holding it.
condolences on several respects.
condolences to devons family and may god bless
Condolences to the family… Some of the above comments are appalling. Why be so insensitive and cruel? It will be hard enough for the family to cope with such an horrific tragedy. God Bless
Barb, thanks for your statement. I am so tired of these “white supremacy, I ‘m smarter than everyone alive” attitudes all over the internet. The type of people are not happy unless they put down someone before the go to bed. Mean people suck!