Coroner: Death of 11-year-old Indiana boy in fireworks explosion ruled accidental

Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press
·2 min read
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Hundreds attend vigil for Mount Vernon, Indiana, boy killed in fireworks accident

MOUNT VERNON, Ind. — The Posey County Coroner's Office said an 11-year-old killed in a fireworks incident died in an accident involving a "fireworks mortar."

The child, identified by his mother and the coroner's office as 11-year-old Camrynn Ray McMichael, died due to a head injury sustained in the accident, Posey County Coroner Bill Denning said in a news release.

Toxicology results are pending and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

Original Story: Mount Vernon woman identifies 11-year-old fatal fireworks incident victim as her son

The incident happened Sunday at 932 N. Canal St., according to Indiana State Police Sgt. Todd Ringle. He said Posey County 911 dispatch was called at 9:42 p.m. about a serious injury.

Camrynn died while being taken to an Evansville hospital.

Camrynn's mother, Kyrra McMichael, told the Courier & Press her son was an honor roll student who loved playing sports and making people laugh.

"No matter the situation he tried to be happy," Kyrra McMichael said in a social media message.

The Indiana State Police, the Mount Vernon Police Department and the Posey County Coroner continue to investigate the incident.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that firework-related injuries rose sharply during the pandemic.

In 2021, the CDC found at least 11,500 injuries inflicted by fireworks across the United States. Between 2006 and 2021, emergency room visits for firework injuries increased by 274 cases each year, according to the agency's most recent annual report.

However, deaths are rare compared to injuries. While fatality data for all of 2021 remains incomplete, the CDC tracked just 9 non-occupational firework-related deaths nationwide last year, and six of the cases were determined to be the result of misuse.

The vast majority of injuries occur during June and July each year. Children ages 15 and younger accounted for about 29% of all firework-related injuries in 2021.

The CDC says mortars, like the one that killed Camrynn McMichael, are responsible for the majority of firework deaths each year.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at walter.harwood@courierpress.com with story ideas and questions. Twitter: @houston_whh

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Death of Indiana boy in fireworks explosion ruled accidental