WILLISTON - A 35-year-old Oregon man died after a firework struck him in the face early Saturday morning, according to the Williams County Sheriff’s Office.
Det. Caleb Fry said detectives were called between midnight and 1 a.m. and found Michael Cottrell deceased.
“I believe one of the parties attempted CPR,” Fry said.
Cottrell of Portland was shooting off fireworks with a small group of people. Fry said it was an aerial firework that required a tube to ignite and launch it. Cottrell was struck in the face.
The state Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on Cottrell and ruled it as an accidental death.
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Fry said the sheriff’s office did not receive any reports of other incidents involving fireworks over the holiday weekend.
“It’s so preventable,” he said.
