Gender reveal parties have become popular in recent years. Parents have various views about how to reveal their baby’s gender in front of relatives and friends.
This celebration is always full of party poppers, smoke bombs, cake slicing, and other surprises! What could go wrong at such a pleasant and exciting time?
This joyous occasion was a tragedy for one Iowa family as a grandma was killed instantaneously during a gender reveal party.
Palmer Kreimeyer, 56, died after being struck on the head by flying debris, a piece of metal from an explosive device designed to expose either pink or blue smoke.
She is the soon-to-be grandmother, but unfortunately, their use of a ‘homemade pipebomb’ for the gender reveal resulted in a horrible catastrophe.
“Our investigation revealed that members of the Kreimeyer family were experimenting with different types of explosive material on Friday and Saturday in an attempt to record a gender reveal that could be posted on social media for friends and family,” the Marion County Sheriff Department said in a statement to the New York Times.
The family created their stand, which was soldered to a metal foundation. It was loaded with gunpowder, which would set off the revealing gadget. It was meant to emit blue or pink smoke.
Palmer and the others were around 14 meters (45 feet) from the gender reveal apparatus. According to CNN, the grandmother was slain quickly and was pronounced dead at the site. A piece of metal debris slammed into her with such intensity that it did not stop there. It soared more than 400 feet before landing in the field.
The cops also found that the family had been experimenting with various homemade devices. They wanted to make the ‘ideal’ reveal. Something their families and friends have never witnessed. They want their viewers to capture and post the full reveal on social media. Their experimentation, however, went a little too far.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said, “On Saturday afternoon, five family members and an expectant mother gathered and placed gunpowder in the bottom of a homemade stand that was welded to a metal base plate.”
“A hole had been drilled in the side for a fuse, a piece of wood was placed on top of the gunpowder, and colored powder was placed on top of the board,” according to the statement.
The tape was then wrapped over the top of the metal tubing, accidentally creating a pipe bomb. Instead of the powder being shot out the top of the stand by the explosion, the stand burst, sending metal fragments everywhere.”
The terrible explosion caught everyone off guard. They did not expect this to result in their grandmother’s death. Other family members were standing near the Palmer during the reveal, but she was the only one hit by the debris.
Because of this unfortunate incident, police advise individuals to exercise extreme caution while utilizing any explosive device. It is preferable to avoid making any handmade devices. Why not just use confetti? Or perhaps something less heinous?
In this manner, you can be certain that everyone is safe and secure.
