Who to Hold Responsible for Firearm Accidents
If you or a loved one was injured due to accidental shooting, you may be wondering who is responsible. You may be due compensation if negligence was involved in the accident. Your case is serious, and deserves to be handled by a qualified, experienced Sacramento personal injury attorney from Eliot Reiner, APLC. We know the steps to take to make sure that all evidence is taken into consideration in the pursuit of a negligence or accidental discharge related settlement.
Common Causes of Firearm Accidents
Gun accidents may fall under one or more of several responsibilities, from the gun owner to the person who was handling the gun, the firearm seller, the manufacturer, or even the property owner, such as a gun range owner. There are several reasons why an accidental shooting may occur, including:
- Intoxication: Accidental firearm discharge after consuming alcohol or drugs is one of the leading causes of gun injuries. Alcohol and drugs impair judgement and response time, making mistakes a substantial risk.
- Inadequate firearm training: Because of the differences in types of firearms and how they work, adequate training is imperative when handling a firearm that you are not familiar with.
- Recklessness: Play shooting, passing guns from one person to another, aiming guns carelessly, and failure to engage a safety are all ways that accidental shootings can take place.
- Inadequate gun maintenance: Debris build-up in the barrel of your firearm can cause a malfunction in firing, making your weapon an explosion danger.
- Manufacturer defects: Defects may cause unexpected discharge, breaks, or malfunctions with parts of the gun causing harm or other product liability type injuries.
- Hunting Accident: This is typically the cause of a shooter not recognizing that the “moving target” was not an animal but another person, or you may be shot because a shooter did not see you and was aiming for an animal behind you.
Accidents and Negligence
There are some accidental firearm injuries that are a result of product liability or a true mistake, such as a gun slipping out of its owner’s hands as it was being stored, or accidental firing during a lesson. Other firearm discharges may be due to negligence such as intoxication, or reckless behavior. In both cases, you may be due compensation. Your case is best handled by an experienced personal injury attorney who can help you get the settlement that you need to recover, without financial stress. Let a Sacramento personal injury attorney from our team take the legal burden of your shoulders, so you can heal and get back on track.
Contact our team to discuss your case at (916) 778-3228.