Detroit Free Press – Audio from 911 calls to Novi, Michigan police paint a distressing picture of the fireworks incident Sunday night that led to the death of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks.
Kivlenieks was at the Novi home of Manny Legace, the former Red Wing and now goalie coach for the Blue Jackets, according to the Columbus Dispatch, when he was struck by a misfired firework.
Three 911 calls obtained by the Free Press describe what happened and Kivlenieks’ rapidly deteriorating condition.
“Fireworks misfire,” one caller said in describing the incident. Asked whether the person was conscious, the caller replied, “He’s conscious, he’s conscious.”
“Hey we have someone who was hit by a firework can you come here immediately?” asked the second caller. The dispatcher replied, “We’re already aware of it. Is he awake and talking to you?”
“We’re still investigating it as an accident,” Lt. Jason Meier said. When the investigation is complete, police will consult the prosecutor’s office, he added.
“He’s breathing, we have a nurse here. He’s breathing but he’s doing not very good,” the caller answered.
The dispatcher replied, “They’re on their way, just stay there.”
A third caller told Novi police to “come to the house right now.” The caller said “hit with fireworks” in describing what happened, adding “he’s getting ready to go into convulsions.”
Lt. Jason Meier told the Free Press that the calls came in around 10:13 p.m. and paramedics arrived to the scene in 4 minutes and 38 seconds where they found Kivlenieks unresponsive. Kivlenieks was transported to Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi, where he was pronounced dead, Meier said.
Police appear to have redacted some of the audio from the phone calls, including the location of the incident.
While Novi police said an initial investigation indicated that Kivlenieks died after he slipped and fell while fleeing a hot tub following a fireworks malfunction, an autopsy performed Monday found Kivlenieks died from chest trauma from a fireworks mortar blast … Click here to read more.
