SUMMERVILLE — Wearing an Uncle Sam star-spangled suit and a top hat to match, Allen Ray McGrew danced around in the front yard as he smoked a cigarette on July 4th — his favorite holiday of the year. A line of smoldering firework mortars lined the edge of the street behind him.
Hours later, a firework exploded on top of his head, killing him instantly.
Dorchester County sheriff's deputies found the 41-year-old HVAC worker lying dead in the road after rushing to the 100 block of Cottonwood Drive, where an Independence Day Block party had come to an abrupt end around 10:30 p.m.
Paige McGrew told deputies that her husband had placed the large firework on his head to "show off" after drinking for several hours, according to an incident report.
“He was holding this firework over his top hat,” Paige later 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.”
His wife was telling McGrew to stop when the firework suddenly erupted and he collapsed, the report stated.
Coroner Paul Brouthers said the exploding device caused massive head injuries that would have killed McGrew immediately. He was officially pronounced dead at the scene at 11:10 p.m.
In her Crestwood subdivision living room on July 5, Paige McGrew sat surrounded by her dogs, her son Hunter and Hunter’s fiancée, laughing and crying over her late husband’s antics. Paige said Allen worked hard, played hard and ultimately died doing what he loved. His death came less than a month before his 42nd birthday.
“Allen loved this holiday," she said. "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."
Allen Ray McGrew, died in Summerville on July 4, his favorite holiday. Provided.
Allen had been looking forward to adding a daughter to the family and to celebrating his son’s engagement. Getting fully into the holiday spirit, McGrew had gone all out, Paige said, recalling how he slid into her office like a showman, wearing his brand-new Uncle Sam costume — overalls with red and white striped bottoms with a blue field and white stars up top, along with a fake white goatee strapped beneath his chin and the top hat. He also wore a T-shirt with a patriotic red, white and blue design.
“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. The client said, ‘Oh, I have to see this,’ so Allen came around in front of the camera to show off his costume,” Paige recalled. “That was Allen. He was a genuine, good person and he loved life. He worked hard and he played hard.”
She showed The Post and Courier a video of her late husband dancing a jig in his red-white-and-blue outfit on the front lawn. Neighbors up and down the street gathered to enjoy McGrew’s delight in the hours before the tragedy fell.
Allen Ray McGrew of Summerville sports festive clothing on the 4th of July as he spends time with family and friends, several hours before dying as a result of placing a large firework on his head to "show off."
According to Paige, Allen told his son on the night of the incident that this Independence Day celebration would be their official father-son blowout to celebrate Hunter’s wedding day and his engagement. Then he planned to stop drinking for a while.
“Alan was not a drinker,” said Paige. “Everyone was drinking a little last night, but he didn’t drink regularly.”
In Dorchester County, fireworks are permitted on July 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on July 5, according to local ordinance. Dorchester County Sheriff's Lt. Chaz Easterlin said the firework involved in McGrew's death was legal.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2023 received eight reports of fireworks related death and 9,700 injuries. Out of the eight deaths, five were associated with firework misuse, two with a device malfunction and one with unknown circumstances, according to the commission.
Those around Allen McGrew described him as a kind father and generous neighbor who was always willing to lend a hand.
A man who lives across the street, and who wished to remain anonymous, said July 3 was the first time this year he’s mowed his lawn because McGrew would just come over and cut it every time he trimmed his own grass.
Paige said he actually cut the grass for about five neighbors.
“He was the nicest guy. He was the kind of guy you want for a neighbor,” said the neighbor, an Army military intelligence veteran, who came out early July 5th to clean up signs of the accident left in the asphalt.
“He didn’t suffer; it was quick.”
