Central New York Injury Lawyer Blog
Hey hunters, it’s that time of year again. Grab that gun, and your other hunting gear, get out there in the great outdoors, and make your kill.
But as a Central New York hunting accident lawyer who represents injured and shot hunters, I have to ask you to please remember safety! According to the International Hunter Education Association, hunters accidently shoot about 1,000 people in the US and Canada every year. About 100 of the 1,000 shootings are fatal. In fact, I handled a hunter-shot-hunter case last year. Luckily my client was not killed, but he was seriously injured by the other hunter who mistook him for a deer.
The victims of hunting accidents are usually fellow hunters, but not always. I remember reading about a case a few years ago where a woman was hanging clothes up to dry in her back yard, which was near some woods. She was wearing white gloves. A hunter mistook her white glove for a deer tale and shot her dead. She left behind several young children. Tragic!
Here are some important safety rules published on the New York Department of Environmental Conservation website:
• Assume every gun is loaded • Point the gun in a safe direction, not at people • Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot • Never, ever fire until you are absolutely sure of your target. Don’t “assume” it is a deer or other game. Know it!
• Wear hunter orange — it is 7 times safer
By the way, the increase in your safety when you wear hunter orange can’t be overstated. Eighty percent of hunters in New York know it and wear it. Over the past ten years, of the 15 New York State big game hunters who were mistaken for deer and shot dead, every single one of them was not wearing hunter orange. They were among the small minority of hunters who have not switched to hunter orange. And there is absolutely no proof that hunters who wear hunter orange are any less successful in downing deer. Deer can’t see red or orange, so they don’t see the difference, really!
Happy hunting!
Keep safe!
Mike Bersani
Email me at: bersani@mbk-law.com I’d love to hear from you!
Michael G. Bersani, Esq.
mbk-law.com
Central NY Personal Injury Lawyer Michaels Bersani Kalabanka
1-315-253-3293