Press releases - Police Department - City of Kent, Washington
Press releases - Police Department - City of Kent, Washington: "Death caused by exploding lava lamp ruled accidental

Kent, WA - November 29, 2004

At about 8:00 p.m., Sunday, November 28, 2004, an Auburn couple found their 24 year old son dead in his south Kent trailer home. Kent Police Detectives examined the scene. It appeared that something had exploded on the stove top sending shards and splinters of glass in all directions. Remnants of a lava lamp were found around the kitchen area. It is believed that for some unknown reason the deceased placed a lava lamp on the stove top to heat it up which led to the explosion of the fluid container part of the lava lamp. The deceased has several lacerations and one large shard of glass embedded in his chest.

The young man talked to this father on the phone about 9:00 a.m. Sunday. His parents were called by his girlfriend about 7:30 pm when she had not been able to contact him all day. His parents drove from their home in Auburn to south Kent to check on him. On entering the trailer home they turned off the burner on the stove and then discovered their son in the bedroom.

The medical examiners office determined that the flying shard of glass caused his death and ruled it to be an accidental death."
- posted by Sophont @ Tuesday, November 30, 2004