Fireworks victim was 'wild' spirit

By Josh Noel Tribune staff reporter Published May 9, 2007

Tyler Delves once set a bonfire behind his home that grew so large it drew firefighters.

They damped it back and left, but not before Delves posed for a photo beside the firefighters with a thumbs-up and a crooked smile.

He was proud.

"He was pretty wild," said Jillian Delves, 24, his wife of six months. "Always exciting, always adventurous."

But the way Tyler Delves, 29, lived was the way he died Saturday night during a bachelor party in his back yard. He was killed when illegal commercial-grade fireworks exploded in his face as he tried to figure out why they hadn't gone off yet, authorities said.

Delves and about 10 friends had gone to a sports bar for food, drinks and to watch a Bulls playoff game Saturday before returning to his home in unincorporated Downers Grove for fireworks and a bonfire, DuPage County Coroner Pete Siekmann said.

About 10:40 p.m., the first round of fireworks went up as expected, but the second appeared to flame out, authorities said. After cautioning everyone to hang back for a moment, Delves approached, looked into the cylinder holding the explosive and almost immediately suffered "massive head trauma," Siekmann said.

He was declared dead at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital. No autopsy is being done, but a toxicology analysis will look for traces of alcohol or drugs, the coroner said.

The DuPage County sheriff's office said its investigation is ongoing and would not say whether charges were possible. The hazardous-devices unit removed the remaining fireworks from the home, authorities said.

In a similar incident, Frank Kralik Jr., 43, was killed in front of an Addison home in July 2000 after an aerial mortar shell he lit struck him in the head. The homeowner and the man thought to have brought the fireworks to the pre-Independence Day party were charged with unlawful possession of explosives and obstruction of justice. Both were placed on two years' probation and sentenced to 240 hours of public service.

In the Downers Grove home where Delves grew up, his father, William Delves, 58, said he bears no anger toward his son or anyone at the party honoring a friend who was getting married in a week or so. He said he is glad his son lived life enthusiastically but hopes his death will serve as a warning.

"These are some guys who wanted to blow off some bombs, get drunk and have a bachelor party," William Delves said. "There was a risk and they knew it."

Photos chronicling the younger Delves' life covered the house's kitchen table Tuesday -- his wedding day; holding a nurse shark he'd caught during a trip to the Florida Keys; smiling widely as he drove shirtless. Friends and family remembered him as exuberant, eternally smiling and seemingly always charmed.

"He was the luckiest fisherman ever," said childhood friend Jerry Bednar, 26, who lives across the street in a rented house. "He got 23 fish on a trip to Canada one time. My brother got six."

Since graduating from Downers Grove South High School, Delves had held several jobs -- bartender, mechanic, gardener -- but most recently had followed the lead of his parents by becoming a house painter.

He and his wife were buying a home in Romeoville but enjoyed the white house they rented in the 5600 block of Katrine Avenue for its huge back yard, where he built many of his trademark bonfires in a homemade pit. In addition to being the center of good times, Delves was remembered as eternally helpful, Bednar said.

"I'd be spreading rocks in the driveway on a Saturday and he'd bring his shovel," Bednar said. "I needed a car and he sold me his old truck for 500 bucks. That's the kind of dude he was."

Delves and Jillian married in November in the Florida Keys after more than four years of dating. She called her husband protective and gentle despite his adventurous streak.

"I never felt more pretty and special than when he made me feel that way," she said.

But his mischievous streak was part of the attraction.

"He always wanted to find out what was over the hill," she said. "He was invincible."

Submitted on 05/09/2007

Submitted by: Brian
Reference: Chicago Tribune, 5/9/07

Copyright © 2007 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Some further info on our newlywed would-be pyrotechnics expert. I will let Darwin have a look, as I'm not sure the original story made it through moderator screening!

Graham said:
Definitely Toss: Other
We already have this one, Brian, and the additional info here doesn't really add to the story, other than giving more background to the event. Thanks for the submission, though.

Chip said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
I go with James on this one. We do already have this story but there is much more detail, including the statement from his widow that "He always wanted to find out what was over the hill," she said. "He was invincible." Turns out he wasn't. Thanks for sending these details, Brian.

The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

The Darwin Awards Condom Keep yourself out of the gene pool! A condom in a matchbook, useful for emergency contraception, bachelor parties, frat parties, and important rites of passage. LOADED inside and out with funny quotes and stories. Everyone loves this item! Friends don't let friends reproduce! $13 for Pack of 4