NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Zambelli Fireworks made a brief public statement Monday expressing sympathy to the family of an employee who died during a Fourth of July celebration in eastern Pennsylvania.
Speaking at Zambelli Park in downtown New Castle, company president Doug Taylor said 19-year-old David Allen Walker had been an employee for six weeks and was part of a three-person team that worked on a fireworks display in Quakertown on Saturday night.
The others were "very shaken up, not hurt," Taylor said. "No one else was injured in any way."
A statement from the Bucks County fire marshal's office said that Walker "was in the process of setting conducting the fireworks exhibition at approximately 9:30 p.m. when a singles shell malfunctioned, causing an on-ground explosion. The explosion caused the destruction of its containment bunker. Fire Marshal Rafferty found that the explosion caused wooden debris to strike Mr. Walker, resulting in blunt force trauma."
Quakertown Police Cpl. Scott Fogel said about 10,000 people were at Memorial Park for the fireworks show. The event was stopped and part of the park was evacuated after the accident.
Firefighters gave Walker first aid, but the young Pulaski Township man was pronounced dead at St. Luke's Hospital-Quartertown.
One of Walker's neighbors, who did not want to be identified, told WTAE Channel 4's Bob Mayo that Walker and his girlfriend had a baby together about a month ago.
"I will tell you that the plant manager was very impressed with him and honestly had spoken to me about keeping him on as a full-time employee," Taylor said.
In addition to local police, agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are involved in the investigation of the circumstances of Walker's death.
"If there is something that we can learn from anything that we do, we're certainly going to work to try to learn from this and do things better," Taylor said.
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