Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit After an Accidental Shooting
Posted Saturday, November 4, 2017 by Chris Thayer
Accidents happen. Some accidents can have serious and even deadly consequences, especially when those accidents involve firearms. Accidental shooters, or adults who supply the weapons involved in child accidental shootings, may face criminal charges in some cases. They may also face civil charges because accidental gunshot victims may file personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits seeking compensation for their injuries.
In January 2016, a woman was injured at a Renton movie theater when a man’s gun accidentally went off and shot her in the shoulder. The bullet came from a handgun owned by Dane Gallion, who initially gave conflicting accounts of what happened. Gallion did tell police that he brought the gun to the theater because of his fear of mass shootings in public places.
The injured woman recently filed a personal injury lawsuit against Gallion, claiming that the accidental shooter “was negligent in many respects” when he dropped the gun. Her collar bone was shattered by the bullet, and she seeks damages for her injuries.
*Children Injured in Accidental Shootings*Accidental shootings happen much too frequently. In 2011, a Seattle third-grader brought a parent’s gun to school in his backpack. When the student accidentally dropped his backpack onto the classroom floor, it went off, shooting a classmate in the abdomen. Thankfully the injured student survived.
The trauma surgeon who treated the third-grader told CNN that her case was not the only time he had seen a child with an accidental gunshot wound. He had also treated a 6-year-old boy whose brother received a handgun for his 9th birthday. The 9-year-old accidentally shot his little brother when they were playing with the gun in their backyard.
According to a recent study, 5,790 children receive emergency medical treatment for gun-related injuries in the United States every year. Like the Seattle third-grader, 21% of those injuries are accidental. The study also found that boys are much more likely than girls to be injured in accidental shootings. Other findings include:
- Between 2012 and 2014, an average of 1,297 died every year in the U.S. from a gun-related injury.
- Boys accounted for 82% of child deaths caused by firearms.
- Boys also accounted for 84% of nonfatal firearm injuries.
- About 19 children a day die from a gunshot wound or receive emergency medical treatment for one.
- In 2010, 91% of the children killed by gunshot wounds in high-income countries were killed in the U.S.
The researchers noted that their study does not account for accidental firearm injuries that are not treated in a hospital. They also note that accidental firearm deaths might be underreported.
Most accidental shootings are preventable. For example, parents should make sure that their firearms are safely secured and stored so that their children cannot access them.
Contact Us Today
Contact one of our personal injury attorneys today for a free consultation if you or a loved one was injured in an accidental shooting. Our experienced attorneys will help you recover compensation for those injuries, including medical expenses, lost wages, and noneconomic damages for pain and suffering.