Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim got the call Saturday evening shortly after a car exploded in Allentown, and within an hour he was sifting through human remains and flaming car parts strewn across several city blocks.
Videos posted on social media sites showed people walking around in a smoky haze, stepping over debris and body parts. Federal investigators described the blast site as “a war zone” and a “gruesome” and “grisly” scene. Grim, the coroner for the last 21 years, joined his team of deputy coroners who responded to the carnage along Turner Street in Center City Allentown.
“You just kind of go on autopilot and get to work,” Grim said Thursday. “That way, it’s easy to put your feelings and thoughts aside because you know exactly what needs to be done.”
Grim, who for several days essentially worked sunrise to sunset, never faltered in front of the media during a string of news conferences about the blast.