US3 min(s) read
Published 13:45 04 Jul 2026 GMT
The heartbreaking final words of a father who died after setting off a large firework on his head during a 4th of July party have been revealed.
As previously reported, Allen Ray McGrew died in July 2024 after celebrations went tragically wrong.
The devastating incident took place at a neighborhood block party in Summerville, Dorchester County, where videos shared online showed the happy 41-year-old, from South Carolina, smoking a cigarette and dancing while dressed in an Uncle Sam costume.
In one clip, friends and family were heard laughing as Allen celebrated his favorite holiday.
“He’s dancing to his own tune,” one person said, while another chimed in that the “big show” would be starting soon.
However, the festivities were soon to take a sudden and devastating turn when the HVAC worker started to "show off" by holding a firework "over his top hat" at around 10.30PM, his wife Paige McGrew told The Post and Courier.
"I thought he was just showboating before he set it on the ground. I didn’t realize he had already lit it," she told the publication.
She said she told her husband to stop when the fireworks suddenly went off and he collapsed, according to the police report obtained by WCBD.
The firecracker caused head injuries that likely killed McGrew immediately and he was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.10PM.
“We’re traumatized,” Allen's son, Hunter McGrew, then 20, told The New York Post.
Allen's grieving family also spoke out against any negative portrayal, saying that he was not a “drunken fool". They said the father rarely drank alcohol but did that day, not only to celebrate Independence Day but also his son’s recent engagement.
"He was a patriot, he was proud of his son and he was excited to have a new daughter-in-law. He was living his best life last night," Paige said, per The Post.
“He loved this country and looked forward to celebrating every year."
She also revealed that before the fatal accident, her husband embraced her and her son, and said: "You are my rock, and you are my heart," adding: “Me being his rock and his son being his heart.”
In an interview with The Post and Courier, Paige recalled how Allen had gone all out for July 4 by wearing a costume as well as a fake white beard. She also remembered him appearing at her office in the full outfit, saying: "I was on the phone with a client and I just lost it, I was laughing so hard.
"I had to tell her what was going on. That was Allen. He was a genuine, good person and he loved life. He worked hard and he played hard," she said.
.webp_lli6Ty?tr=cr-74.9.445.380,f-webp,q-70,w-100)