Recent accidental shooting news

[struggle4progress]

HUNTING

Hunter shut, rushed to hospital
MIKE LaFAVE
Story Created: Nov 24, 2009 at 11:58 PM EST
Story Updated: Nov 24, 2009 at 11:58 PM EST

MIDDLEFIELD, N.Y. (WKTV) - A Sharon Springs hunter is in the hospital after a hunting accident Tuesday morning.

Walter O. Rouse, Jr., 37, Sharon Springs, was hunting in a field off Roscoe Jones Road in Middlefield with a hunting party, including Lawrence C. Delaney, 68, Cooperstown. Delaney was in a "hunting blind" and accidentally shot Roscoe, mistaking him for a deer.

The shot was from about 300 feet away and hit Roscoe in the upper left arm and traveled to his abdomen ...

http://www.wktv.com/news/local/73188392.html

Witnesses: Hunter accidentally shot child in Stone Co.

By WLOX Staff

STONE COUNTY, MS (WLOX) - A 10-year-old is in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds sustained during a horseback ride. The shooting happened Sunday along the Big Foot Horse Trail in Stone County.

Investigators with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks were told the unidentified child was accidentally shot by a nearby deer hunter ...

http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=11561459

Miss. man dies in hunting accident
2 injured in separate incident

... Doug Childs, 32, of Maben was killed Sunday morning while hunting in western Oktibbeha County ...

In the second case, a 41-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl were hit by stray shotgun pellets around 1 p.m. in Harrison County, Sheriff Melvin Brisolara said.

Brisolara said the two were shot while horseback riding on public land managed by the U.S. Forestry Service. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening ...

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20091123/NEWS/911230330/Miss.+man+dies+in+hunting+accident

CHILDREN PLAYING WITH GUNS

Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009
Shotgun goes off while boy is cleaning it, killing his sister
Herald-Leader Staff Report

A 9-year-old Knox County girl was killed by a shotgun blast Thursday when the weapon her brother was cleaning accidentally went off, state police said.

The girl was watching television when she was shot, according to a news release.

The girl was rushed to the Knox General Hospital but was pronounced dead. The accident happened in the Cannon community ...

http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/1033822.html?storylink=omni_popular

Father posts bond in child’s death
By Ashley Fielding
[e-mail]

A man who was charged in the death of his 22-month-old son is free on bond, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

Raley A. Lane, 33, was released from the Hall County Jail on Monday after posting a $46,000 bond, according to Hall County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kiley Sargent.

Lane was charged with involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to children and reckless conduct Saturday after his adopted son found a small-caliber handgun on a night stand and accidentally shot himself.

The boy later died in surgery at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, according to reports ...

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/26385/

ADULTS PLAYING WITH GUNS

Delray Beach Man Accidentally Shoots and Kills His Teenage Cousin
November 24, 2009 7:10 PM

DELRAY BEACH-- Twenty-year-old David Duritsa has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child after shooting and killing his 17-year-old cousin, James Williams, Monday night.

Duritsa turned himself in to police Tuesday morning. The young men were inside the victim's home on Southwest 14th Avenue in Delray Beach when Duritsa fired the the gun.

Duritsa's mother says he called her shortly after the shooting and said "mommy I found a gun and I was playing around with it, and it went off." Eleanor Abraham said at that point "he didn't know if he had shot him in the shoulder or the head, and he said he was sorry and he just cried."

According to the police report, Duritsa didn't think the gun was loaded when he picked it up and pointed it at his cousin, who was sitting on a couch watching television. The gun's magazine had been removed, but police say a bullet was still in the chamber. Family and friends are calling the shooting a tragic accident ...

http://www.cbs12.com/news/year-4722776-duritsa-old.html

Family of teen mistakenly shot to death prepares for hollow holiday

CUTLER BAY, Fla. (WSVN) -- The family of a 14-year-old girl who authorities said was accidentally shot to death at a friend's home Sunday night will spend the upcoming holiday making arrangements for her funeral.

While visiting a friend at a home, located at 9541 Holiday Drive, Samantha Meerbott suffered a bullet wound to the stomach when an adult inside the home accidentally discharged the firearm, said Miami-Dade Police. "They took out the gun thinking that they were just showing it off, and ... it happened to shoot through her by accident," said Vicky Dinapoli, who calls Meerbott her best friend. "They tried to put .. on safety lock, and it didn't ..."

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI137230/

Husband shoots wife while testing gun
Bullet traveled through wall, striking woman
Updated: Tuesday, 24 Nov 2009, 10:23 AM EST
Published : Monday, 23 Nov 2009, 1:47 PM EST

FRANKLIN, Ind. (AP) - A Franklin man changing an ammunition magazine in his gun accidentally shot and killed his wife.

Police said 67-year-old William Jenkins was testing the new magazine when a bullet fired from the gun striking his wife, 61-year-old Karen Jenkins, in another room.

Just before one o'clock Saturday afternoon, police went to the home in the 1100 block of Paris Drive after William Jenkins called 911.

"When the firearm went off, he heard his wife, knew something was wrong. He thought that she was just startled by the sound of the gun going off," said Franklin Police Lt. Chris Tennell. "He exited the bedroom, walked into the kitchen area to let her know everything was OK and that's when he seen everything was not OK" ...

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/south_central/husband-shoots-wife-while-cleaning-gun

Man Dies in Accidental Shooting
Lauderdale County, Miss.
Lauderdale County authorities say a man accidentally shot and killed himself, because he mistakenly thought his gun was not loaded.
Posted: 5:01 PM Nov 23, 2009
Reporter: Stephen Bowers

... Investigators say a card game turned deadly at a residence on Marion-Russell Road Friday. A man there accidentally shot himself with his own gun.

27-year-old Matthew Netto died a short time later. Officials say he thought his gun was unloaded.

"Our investigation is ongoing into this matter," said Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun. "Currently, it appears, based on the evidence that we have from statements of witnesses that were there and physical evidence, it appears that this was a tragic accidental discharge of a firearm" ...

http://www.wtok.com/news/headlines/71909807.html

ALCOHOL

Burnsville man accidentally shot friend after night of drinking, charges say
Charges say the friends were drinking, then returned home. Facts are blurry, but one man ended up dead.
By JOY POWELL
[e-mail]
Last update: November 24, 2009 - 9:30 PM

A night of heavy drinking, a loaded pistol and drunken horseplay led to charges Tuesday against a Burnsville man, who stands accused in the manslaughter death of his friend.

Michael Cody Schwartz, 25, of Burnsville was charged with second-degree manslaughter, reckless discharge of a firearm, and two misdemeanor weapons charges in connection with the death of Logan Ahlers, 25, early Saturday in a Burnsville apartment.

"It sounds like they were very good friends," said Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom ...

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/72815077.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsA

Man accidentally shot friend and ASU student
By Monte Mitchell.
Media General News Service
Published: November 24, 2009

... Police said that Ruble didn’t realize the gun was loaded, and thought the percussion cap would only make a noise and scare his friends.

Police consulted with the district attorney’s office, and authorities decided that Ruble had been negligent in the shooting death.

Police said Ruble told them he had been drinking. His blood-alcohol level wasn’t tested.

“Firearms are not toys and are not to be pointed at something you don’t intend to destroy,“ Wilson said. “Alcohol and gunpowder don’t mix. It’s a deadly combination" ...

http://www2.godanriver.com/gdr/news/state_regional/article/man_accidentally_shot_friend_and_asu_student/15818/

Drinking man accidentally shoots self with loaded rifle he was cleaning

OLIVER SPRINGS — A 32-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the face with a .22-caliber rifle Sunday night while he said he was cleaning the weapon, according to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department report.

Mark D. Richardson of Old Frost Bottom Lane sustained a gunshot wound to his left cheek and was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge’s emergency room for treatment, Deputy William S. Lucas reported.

Richardson told the deputy he had emptied the weapon but didn’t recall whether he had checked the rifle’s chamber for a bullet. Richardson told the deputy he had been drinking alcohol before cleaning the weapon “but did not feel he was under the influence,” according to the report ...

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/nov/23/drinking-man-accidentally-shoots-self-loaded-rifle/

[barbtries]

1. so many

and one would be too much. thanks for posting.

[metalbot]

7. Where's the post about swimming pools?

I don't think I'd have to look to hard to find a nice collection of stories about children drowning in swimming pools. A swimming pool owner is more likely to have a child drown in a pool than a gun owner is to have a child killed with their gun.

But for some reason, I've never heard about anyone proposing legislation to ban pools. After all, nobody needs a swimming pool in their backyard.

[barbtries]

15. yeah that makes a point

i don't have a swimming pool, but if i did have one, it would be fenced if i also had small children. then we all could enjoy the pool together when it was nice outside. what fun's a gun? all you can do with it is shoot.

[slackmaster]

18. Shooting is fun when you don't have to do it

Try it some time.

[barbtries]

37. i tried it

40 years ago. didn't like it. don't like guns.

[eqfan592]

42. So because you didn't like shooting....

....nobody else should??

[barbtries]

45. did i say that?

[barbtries]

46. and because you do

everybody should?

[eqfan592]

47. Wow, 90th strawman argument of the day

"what fun's a gun? all you can do with it is shoot." The implication here is that you can't imagine someone finding shooting fun. Please point to where I made any such implication that everybody should find it fun. In fact, I've already stated that I understand the opposite to the be true on this very thread.

Assuming then that you're OK with the thought that other people find shooting fun, then I don't think we have any disagreement.

[metalbot]

43. I don't like swimming

I really don't see the fun of hanging out in a pool. Can we ban them now? For the children? Why allow people to own things that are far more dangerous to have in the house than guns, but which have no practical use?

I've been very unsuccessful so far in winning people over to my anti-pool campaign, and I can't figure out why, since my argument is more logical than most arguments about how unsafe guns are in the home.

[slackmaster]

44. That's a shame. You must not have had a good instructor.

It happens too often. I know a woman who doesn't like guns because the one and only time her boyfriend took her out to shoot, the first thing he handed her was a .44 Magnum revolver. She fired once, and in recoil the gun hit her in the face. The hammer left a big gash on her forehead.

He laughed at her. He's a certifiable dumbass.

[eqfan592]

41. Ignore, dup. (nt)

[eqfan592]

19. LOL!

"What fun's a gun? all ou can do with it is shoot." That, my friend, is ignorance defined.

I'm willing to be you've never even tried it, yet you've already passed judgement.

And even if you have tried it and don't like it, just because you DON'T like it don't mean millions of other people around the world don't enjoy many various shooting sports and plinking.

[metalbot]

21. Why wouldn't the same logic apply to guns?

I have guns. They are in a safe. In a couple years, my daughter and I will have fun shooting in competitions together when it's nice outside.

[SteveM]

25. I'm glad you asked...

I was taught how to use a rifle (.22) and a revolver (.32) by the age of nine. I was also taught how to load, unload and use it safely. From here I came to enjoy:
(1) target shooting;
(2) sighting-in (a procedure for adjusting sights in prelude to hunting season);
(3) hunting, wherein I effectively shot from a seated position, with a rest (trees & such), off-hand, etc.;
(4) take apart rifles, shotguns, revolvers for cleaning and inspection;
(5) some collection; and
(6) effective procedures for home-defense (this was not so much "fun," but more an "empowering" experience).

You should try the shooting sports -- many millions already do.

[paulsby]

28. and bathtubs

iirc, about 100 kids under 5 a YEAR die in bathtubs from drowning.

[metalbot]

32. Prefer swimming pools as the example, because nobody "needs" them

I usually try to use the swimming pool example because you can make a clear argument that nobody needs a private swimming pool. I can't make quite the same argument about tubs, since hygiene is actually important.

Oddly enough, I've never been able to convince a single person that we need to ban swimming pools (or at least tightly regulate them). For the children.

[paulsby]

34. strange isn't it?

there's no constitutional right to keep or swim in a pool (as opposed to firearms ownership), and MORE young kids die from the former than the latter.

bathtubs are not necessary for hygiene, they are convenient for it. lots of nations, many families don't have a bathtub, but use a much smaller container that would be next to impossible to drown in.

[SteveM]

24. Do you have data as to firearms-related hunting accidents over the last 20 yrs? (nt)

[barbtries]

36. i didn't supply the data

just read the OP.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

40. One would be too much for what?

[Kolesar]

2. My classmate shot and killed the paperboy

The two were at a friends house hanging out in the basement. Gary shot Perry. Then the two "survivors" concocted a story that it was an accident. The three of them were known to use a lot of drugs and alcohol. Gary ended up in the juvenile house of detention until he was an adult.

My idiot brother blew away the full length mirror in my bedroom when he was home playing "James Bond".

[PavePusher]

3. If you have a way to prevent stupid, lets hear it.

Until then, this "freedom" thing is risky and dangerous. But it beats the unholy snot out of the alternatives.

[SteveM]

26. Sorry this happened. What kind of training did these kids (and you) have? (nt)

[Unrepentant Fenian]

49. They probably had the same training I did as a kid...

They probably had the same training I did as a kid. The Old Man told me to never play with loaded firearms and to never play with myself. To be honest, I couldn't keep my hands off either of them. KEEP LOADED GUNS AWAY FROM KIDS!

[eqfan592]

4. Oh what the fuck, seriously?

This stupid ass shit again, s4p???

This isn't even POLICY related! People being fucking stupid will always find ways to get themselves and others killed. Yes, it's tragic, but beyond that I have no fucking idea what you're really trying to get at.

Welcome back to Trollsville. Population: You.

[slackmaster]

5. Recent statistics for accidental shootings in the USA

Fatal

Year  #  Population  Rate

1999 824 279,040,181 0.30 
2000 776 281,421,906 0.28 
2001 802 285,039,803 0.28 
2002 762 287,726,647 0.26 
2003 730 290,210,914 0.25 
2004 649 292,892,127 0.22 
2005 789 295,560,549 0.27 
2006 642 298,362,973 0.22 

Non-fatal

Year  #  Population  Rate

2003 18,941 290,210,914 6.53 
2004 16,555 292,892,127 5.65 
2005 15,388 295,560,549 5.21 
2006 14,678 298,362,973 4.92 
2007 15,698 301,290,332 5.21 
2008 17,215 304,059,724 5.66 

Source:  http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html

[eqfan592]

6. Good find!

Though I'm sure some around here feel that if ANY happen, it must require a ban of sorts. We must attempt to legislate all our problems away!

[slackmaster]

8. I find it interesting to compare shootings to leading causes of death and injury

For most demographic groups gunshot (all intents including suicide) doesn't make it into the top 20 leading causes of death.

[metalbot]

9. 2006 statistics for drowning in the USA

2006 4,279 298,362,973 1.43 1.42

Same source.

[slackmaster]

11. Free swimming lessons for poor children would save far more lives than any gun law could

That's undeniable.

[Katya Mullethov]

10. 20 year old Duritsa says .......

"mommy I found a gun and I was playing around with it, and it went off."


Or at least , his mommy says he did . Would this be the framing we were discussing yesterday ? Do they even know when they are doing it ?

[spin]

12. These incidents show the importance of teaching gun safety...

I believe that gun safety should be a required class in every high school, but I realize that it will never happen. Anti-gun people would rather cry about truly tragic accidents to push their agenda rather than do something that would actually reduce accidents.

Florida had a high rate of hunting accidents until they implemented a hunter safety course which has reduced hunting accidents significantly. The course is required for anyone born after June 1, 1975.

[ManiacJoe]

13. For varying definitions of "accident".

At a quick glance, they all look negligent, not accidental.

[spin]

14. Recent accidental chainsaw accidents...

March 28, 2009 GOLD BEACH – A Gold Beach wood carver, who was found dead at his Hunter Creek Heights home, was apparently accidentally killed when a chain saw he was using on a wooden sculpture cut his throat, Sheriff’s Capt. Bob Rector said Friday.

Glenn Walter Dobrusky, 58, was found dead at his home Tuesday afternoon.

Rector said an autopsy was performed Thursday and the result was consistent with an investigative finding that Dobrusky’s death was accidental.

“Analysis of the scene indicated that Mr. Dobrusky was working in his shop, using a chain saw on a wooden sculpture, when the chain saw blade somehow made contact with the throat area of his neck, causing a fatal wound,” Rector said. “It appears that the accident occurred sometime early in the morning on March 24.”
http://www.currypilot.com/20090328112926/News/Local-News/Sculptor-dies-in-chain-saw-accident

Man Kills Wife in Chainsaw Accident May 12, 2009

In a tragic and gruesome incident, a man accidentally cut his wife's neck with a chainsaw at their home in Ostego, Michigan.
Jerry Daniels was cutting a log when his wife Deb approached him from behind. According to investigators, she most likely kneeled down in an attempt to help her husband roll the cut log away. Daniels pulled the saw from the log and it slashed her neck. The authorities have so far ruled out foul play.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/272500

BOW, N.H. -- A Bow police officer was killed Tuesday morning in an accident at his home involving a chain saw.
November 24, 2009


Bow officials said Nathan Taylor, 34, died at his Epsom home, and town officials were notified of his death by the Epsom police chief.

Relatives said Taylor was alone, trimming tree branches on his property on Goboro Road when the chainsaw kicked back and cut across his upper body. Taylor was able to call 911, but by the time paramedics arrived, he was dead.
http://www.wmur.com/news/21713629/detail.html

Man Dies In Chainsaw Accident - Killed By Large Limb

Clinton, TN (AHN) - On Sunday, Anderson County (TN.)mourned the passing of former Vol Terry Moore who died tragically in a lumberjacking accident Saturday morning.

Moore, who was pastor at the Freedom Fellowship in Clinton, was well loved within his community and fondly remembered by his parishioners.

He was using a chainsaw to clear some trees near his home when he miscalculated the fall of one tree.

The tree landed on his chest, causing massive internal injuries. He died shortly after at Tennessee Medical Center.
http://aztrees.org/blog/index.php/2009/07/man-dies-in-chainsaw-accident-killed-by-large-limb/

A TREE surgeon died in a chainsaw accident.

Scott David Donnison, 28, was suspended 40 feet up a tree in the back garden of a house in Park Gate, Hailsham.

He died instantly when his chainsaw kicked back from a branch and hit him on the left side of his neck, under his chin.

He was wearing a helmet and full safety equipment at the time.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-176920675.html

Abstract
Each year over 3 million new chainsaws are sold in the United States. The operation of these newer saws combined with the millions of older chainsaws in circulation results in over 28,000 chainsaw-related injures annually. The majority of the injuries involve the hands and lower extremities with less than 10% involving injuries to the head and neck regions. Deaths while operating a chainsaw are extremely rare. The most common hazards associated with chainsaws are injuries caused by kickback, pushback, and pull-in. Kickback is the most common and poses the greatest hazard. Kickback occurs when the rotating chain is stopped suddenly by contact with a more solid area throwing the saw rapidly backward toward the operator. The cause of most injuries can be traced to improper use of the saw or poor judgment on part of the operator. We present two fatal chainsaw deaths; one with an older style saw, and the other with a modern type. In both cases the victims died from fatal injuries received to the neck region from a chainsaw kickback. The first case involved a 49-year-old white male operating an older style chainsaw with limited safety features. The second case involved a 38-year old white male who was operating a newer model chainsaw equipped with a low kickback chain in an unsafe manner.
http://www.astm.org/JOURNALS/FORENSIC/PAGES/JFS2003276.htm

Note: all accidents are tragic.

[DonP]

16. Ahh! The latest anti-gun crusader launches GITN Guns In The News Version 4.0 or is it 5.0?

Welcome to a long list of failed posters that list random criminal and negligent acts that involve firearms that made the papers.

You are about the fifth (or sixth person?) to do the same thing in the past few years. It's not a new or effective idea by any measure. So far the longest lasting one was about three or four weeks IIRC.

Here's what happens next.

You continue to post a series of what you feel are prime examples of why "guns are bad and we need more regulation".

We respond to a few of them but your posts, for the most part, are irrelevant to any real discussion of gun law or policy or totally ignore any and all examples of the positive use of guns for defense.

Then we start ignoring them because they are repetitive and tedious and there's something downright unseemly about a person using the injury to others to reinforce their world view.

Then you get tired and go away.

That's why there are no gun control web sites that allow comments - anywhere. Because there are only a handful of bitter, ignorant and ill informed people that feel the same way and even they get tired of the pointless whining after a while.

But have fun for as long as it lasts.

[rl6214]

17. You didn't leave any comments of your own

Is there a point to your post or

Are you just trolling.

[benEzra]

20. The sky is not, in fact, falling...

...though there are plenty of people who like to manipulate the views of others by giving the impression that gun accidents and gun crime are on the rise, rather than in a long and steady decline.

[gorfle]

22. Once again, benEzra nails it.

The firearm accident rate is at it's lowest point in 100 years.

[eqfan592]

29. NICE!

[benEzra]

48. ROFLMAO!!! (n/t)

[beevul]

57. That, friend, is PRICELESS.

Simply priceless.

[proteus_lives]

30. Out of the park!

Dude. You rule the school!

Authoritarians like the the OP hate the truth!

[Katya Mullethov]

35. At times it is neccesary to retract the foreskin of ignorance

And vigorously apply the wire brush of knowledge and truth .

[spin]

38. Ouch! (I have to remember that quote.) (n/t)

[GreenStormCloud]

53. Best I have seen in a long time. Outstanding. LOL. N/T

[gorfle]

23. See post #20.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=271260&mesg_id=271345

Despite your page full of anecdotes, firearm accident rates are at their lowest point in 100 years.

[SteveM]

27. Please don't post recent drowning accidents -- there isn't enough space (nt)

[proteus_lives]

31. How long would the drunk driving accidents page be?

[metalbot]

33. It would be 15387 names long for 2007

[spin]

39. Welcome to DU. (n/t)

[Euromutt]

50. Another bunch of collected newsbites with no personal commentary

Now I remember why I put S4P on ignore; she has absolutely nothing of any intellectual value to bring to the table.

[GreenStormCloud]

51. In all human endeavors, accidents happen.

I am not willing to give up my guns just because some other person was careless with theirs. Just like I don't quit driving because somebody else did something stupid with their car.

[jeepnstein]

52. I know more people...

who have run their hands through a table saw than have accidentally shot themselves. And yes, I know a couple of people who have indeed shot themselves.

[OttavaKarhu]

54. Congrats for your middle school debate team level skills!

[NewMoonTherian]

55. Tragedies, all.

What are some of your ideas for how we can prevent more of these accidents?

[logjon]

56. Dare I say it?

Education. In every one of those instances failure to follow basic firearm safety procedures is glaringly evident. But to teach people the basics and safely handling firearms at an early age is blasphemy.

[rd_kent]

58. You need to stop that right now. What you posted is inflammatory and against the rules.

Posting common sense and facts are not tolerated here.