Common Gun Accident Injuries
There are a number of ways you can be hurt by a gun, and all of them pose serious health risks and the potential for life-changing injuries. Involvement in a gun-related accident could result in a number of injuries, including but not limited to the following:
- Burns
- Bullet wounds
- Broken bones
- Harm to internal organs
- Brain and spinal cord injuries
- Mutilation and disfigurement
- Death
If you suffer any of the wounds listed above, you will likely incur large medical costs as a result. Even for relatively less life-threatening gun-related injuries, such as gunpowder burns, your recovery may require hospitalization, pain medication, surgery, visits with specialists, and other costly medical treatment. It is not fair for you to absorb the costs of recovery if you are not to blame for the harm and suffering you have experienced.
Call Hutton & Hutton Law Firm, LLC at (316) 688-1166right away if you or someone you love has been injured in a gun-related accident.
Establishing Liability for Accidents and Injuries Involving Firearms
You may be able to take legal action and call the responsible person (or people) to account for their error. Determining the responsible party is the first step to taking action. You may be able to file a lawsuit and recover damages if any of the following contributed to your gun-related injuries:
- Negligent manufacturing or design: Products that are improperly constructed, poorly designed, inappropriately marketed, or do not come with appropriate warnings and information may be legally considered defective. If you were injured because you or someone else used a defective firearm, the manufacturer and/or seller may be considered liable in your case and could be forced to pay for your injury-related costs and other damages.
- Negligent use of a firearm: Someone else may cause you serious bodily harm by failing to take proper precautions when using a firearm. No high-quality manufacturing or warning labels can counteract foolhardiness, nor does manufacturing error necessarily alleviate liability for people who are found guilty of recklessly handling a weapon. In such cases, you are most likely to have a successful personal injury case if it is brought against the person whose negligence caused your injury.
- Negligent sale or entrustment: If you were harmed in an accident involving a gun that occurred in part due to negligent sale or entrustment of a firearm, the person who negligently sold or entrusted the weapon to the person whose use of the gun harmed you may be liable for your injuries. (This is also true if you were negligently sold or entrusted with a deadly weapon and harmed yourself as a result.)
- Negligent sale: This typically occurs when a seller violates the law by allowing a certain buyer to purchase a gun. A negligent sale may happen when a vender allows someone to buy a firearm despite that person being mentally ill and/or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It can also occur when a seller allows someone to buy a gun despite that person implying that they may use it to hurt other people or otherwise use it illegally.
- Negligent entrustment: This could be a factor if you were harmed because someone else provided access to a firearm, whether intentionally or unintentionally, for someone who did not know how to operate a weapon, could not lawfully operate a weapon, or could not otherwise safely use a gun. In this case, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the person who negligently entrusted their weapon to the person who harmed you.
Call Hutton & Hutton Today if You Have Been Harmed in a Gun Accident
At Hutton & Hutton Law Firm, LLC, we serve people experiencing a wide variety of injuries and circumstances. One of the ways we serve our clients is by helping them determine who is or may be responsible for their injuries and get to the source of the problem. We understand that gun-related accidents and injuries can be complicated and involving negligence, human error, and any number of other circumstantial variables, and we are prepared to help you get to the bottom of it and hold the responsible parties accountable for your injuries.
Call (316) 688-1166today if you have been in a gun-related accident in Wichita. You can also send us an email to schedule your free initial consultation with one of our experienced personal injury attorneys.