How do you recover from an accidental shooting? Who do you hold responsible for your losses? It’s natural to want to seek justice for the wrongs done to you, and Zinda Law Group is here to help. You can call our team of accidental shooting lawyers in Fort Collins, CO, for help filing a civil claim against a liable party.
Zinda Law Group and its Fort Collins personal injury lawyers have years of experience defending accident survivors like you. We can keep track of an accidental shooting’s criminal proceedings while building your civil case. We can advocate for your right to a fair settlement both in and out of court. All the while, you get a say in how your case progresses.
Are you ready to learn more? Contact Zinda Law Group to start building your accidental shooting lawsuit.
How to Respond to an Accidental Shooting
If you or someone you know has been shot by accident, you need to:
Get Medical Assistance
It doesn’t matter where you were shot or what kind of weapon you were shot with. In the minutes immediately following an accidental shooting, you need to seek out medical support. Have a loved one or bystander call emergency services on your or the injured party’s behalf. Do not leave the scene unless you are in danger.
Once emergency responders arrive, work with them. If this means going to the emergency room, go to the emergency room. If you do not have to go to the emergency room, schedule an appointment with a general practitioner as soon as possible.
Accidental shootings can prove fatal if you don’t take them seriously. Your health needs to be your first priority after an accidental shooting. Only after you get the help you need should you consider legal action.
Contact a Personal Executor
If someone you know was accidentally shot, you may not have the legal right to represent their best interests. If the injury a loved one endured limits their ability to make their own medical decisions, you need to contact the injured party’s personal executor.
Personal executors can help injured parties make decisions when they’re incapacitated. These parties can reach out to lawyers for legal guidance. In some cases, these parties can also dictate what hospital a person goes to or what treatments for their injuries they receive.
Communicate With Police Officers
Whether you’re in the hospital or still at the shooting scene, you should communicate your circumstances to police officers. There’s a good chance that the party liable for your accident will be arrested for accidentally discharging a weapon. Tell police officers what you witnessed at the scene and why you think the weapon discharged the way it did.
Whatever you do, do not assume fault for the accident. Don’t commit to a course of legal action or otherwise incriminate yourself. If you say the wrong thing, police officers may limit your ability to secure compensation for your losses. That’s why you should always have an attorney on you when speaking with police officers, even after an accidental shooting.
Meet With a Personal Injury Lawyer
When should you call a personal injury lawyer for guidance? Ideally, you should contact a Fort Collins accidental shooting attorney after you’ve received medical treatment but before you debrief with police officers. If you cannot call an attorney to the scene, you can ask a personal representative to do so.
The attorneys with Zinda Law Group understand that several accidental shooting victims have concerns about working with a lawyer. Many believe that doing so will lock them into legal action. Others might worry about the cost of legal representation.
Working with a Zinda Law Group accidental shooting lawyer does not mean committing to a course of legal action. You have the right to consult with our team about our services before moving a case forward. Similarly, we do not charge you for our representation. Our lawyers work on contingency. We only get paid if we win you a fair settlement.
You can schedule a case consultation within hours of an accidental shooting. Come and talk with us about what rights you may have in the wake of a dangerous accident.
John (Jack) Zinda
Founder / CEO
Over 100 years of combined experience representing injured victims across the country.
Available 24 / 7|Free ConsultationWhen to Respond to an Accidental Shooting
If you want to secure a fair financial settlement after an accidental shooting, you can file a personal injury claim with Fort Collins’ civil court. Accidental shootings tend to fall under the umbrella of the court’s personal injury cases. As such, you must file your claim within two years of your accident, as stated by Colorado Revised Statutes section 13-80-102(1)(a).
That said, the nature of an accidental shooting can prove tricky. If you get shot by a private gun owner, you operate under the standard personal injury statute of limitations. What happens if you’re accidentally shot by an on-duty police officer or government employee, though?
Government employees and Colorado police officers benefit from qualified immunity. This immunity protects these parties from civil lawsuits. This does not mean it’s impossible to sue these parties after a shooting. The process is more difficult, though.
Most accidental shooting cases involving government employees proceed on a much faster timeline than other cases. If you get shot by a police officer or related party, you should reach out to a personal injury lawyer as soon as you can. The faster you start to investigate your case, the more likely it is that you may win the chance to fight for compensation.
Neil Solomon
Partner
Real results matter. We do not get paid unless we win your case.
Available 24 / 7|Free ConsultationThe Importance of Gun safety
Shooting accidentally often results in serious injury, and sometimes death. For this reason, possession of a firearm typically requires extensive safety training and demonstrable knowledge of customary safety practices. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to operate a firearm properly.
Whenever a shot goes off that was not intentionally fired, the result is usually that an innocent bystander is injured or killed. According to National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 500 people die from unintentional firearm injuries each day. Among these deaths, the most common circumstances in which they occurred include:
- playing with a gun (28.3%)
- believing that the gun was not loaded (17.2%), and
- hunting (13.8%)
Without a proper understanding of the mechanics of a firearm, the operator is creating a risk to all those around them. With bullets traveling at an average speed of 1700/mph, the impact can shatter bones and possibly pass through the victim entirely. Training is necessary to ensure the safety of all those in the vicinity of a firearm. It is for this reason that there is a great deal of legislation surrounding the possession and use of firearms.
Accidental shooting lawyers have a depth of knowledge when it comes to the laws governing firearms. They are in the best position to ensure that you retain the utmost protection under the law. A Zinda Law Group personal injury lawyer will work tirelessly to make sure that your rights are acknowledged, and that you may recover from someone shooting accidentally and striking you.
Jason Aldridge
Attorney
Standing by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ready to answer in your time of need.
Available 24 / 7|Free ConsultationCommon Causes of Accidental Gun shootings
Accidental shootings are typically due to negligence or some other form of carelessness. Experienced gun handlers know that safety needs to be the priority when using a firearm.
This may be less obvious to inexperienced gun owners, many of whom are only just beginning to learn about the mechanics of a firearm and the safety practices associated with using one. Inexperienced or reckless handlers can cause accidental shootings by a myriad of oversights.
Accidental shooting lawyers take all the variables into account when they determine the viability of your case. An experienced injury attorney would know what to look for and whom to question, should you be the victim of an accidental shooting. The circumstances of an accidental shooting can be vague, but a trained personal injury lawyer will search for the root cause of the accident.
Below is a list of some of the most common causes of accidental shootings in Fort Collins and the surrounding area.
Inadequate Training
Some shooters lack experience in operating firearms. A trained gun user will take note of the safe fire zone and will not operate the gun outside of it. A trained gun owner would also take note of the people around them and make sure everyone is aware that they are going to be discharging their weapon.
In Fort Collins, there are several firearms training groups and facilities. These institutions are focused on public safety education and establish the base level of conduct in the operation of a firearm. But bear in mind, that even someone who is entirely competent in this area can still make a mistake; that is why, regardless of a person’s training, a baseline standard of conduct should never be abandoned.
Poor Gun Range Management
Considering the nature of a gun range, the potential for risk and injury is easy to see. Not only are gun ranges loud, but they are also crowded with multiple people firing weapons. Patrons are typically firing their guns just a few feet from each other.
A typical gun range bears these potential risks. Therefore gun range patrons, owners, and managers must use the utmost precautions to create a safe environment.
Poor gun range management is often the cause of gun range accidents. The most damaging type of gun range injury is an accidental shooting.
For these reasons, it is important to make sure that safety is priority for the gun range that you frequent. For gun ranges, prioritizing safety is a must, as they may be contributorily negligent and liable along with the shooter.
No Parental Supervision
Without parental supervision, the people who cause many firearm accidents and the people who are victimized are children or teenagers. As a child becomes a teenager it gets easier to train and teach them how to handle a weapon responsibly. But until a child or youth has had that training, parents should keep guns secure and away from any minor children.
In 2021 there were at least 379 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 154 deaths and 244 injuries nationally. An estimated live with unlocked, loaded guns, and in homes with firearms, the likelihood of accidental shooting is higher. With so many unintentional shootings involving children, all weapons should be stored in the safest way possible.
Poor Trigger Discipline
Gun safety experts say that the #1 cause of accidental discharges is poor trigger discipline. Trigger discipline refers to keeping the trigger finger off the trigger and outside the guard until ready to discharge the firearm.
This is a safety practice that most novice firearm users are unaware of. The good thing is that poor trigger discipline is an easily addressable behavior that enhances safety.
There are several situations where having poor trigger discipline can lead to accidental discharges. If a gun user does not have good trigger discipline, they are a risk to you and everyone in their vicinity. Unfortunately, people often lack basic firearm education, thereby putting you and your loved ones at risk.
Reckless Handling
Reckless handling of a firearm entails using the firearm in some way that ignores the substantial risks associated with it. This can include leaving the firearm unattended and in the presence of children but is more commonly associated with brandishing the weapon in a way that endangers others. If you see someone using a gun that is not considered normal or reasonable conduct, the best thing to do is exit their vicinity and report them if possible.
This type of conduct should be addressed immediately after it is observed. It is never okay to tilt a gun before firing it, wave it around without definite aim, or remove the clip without checking for a bullet in the chamber. Again, if you are near people who are not aiming their weapons downrange, or are tossing their guns around like toys, the best thing to do is to remove yourself from the situation.
Manufacturer Defects
While manufacturers pride themselves on quality control, there are cases where they are careless as well. A manufacturing defect typically entails a gun being poorly constructed or having defective parts. Typically, the flaw that causes the accident manifests itself in the design stage or in the production stage.
If a gun discharges when dropped, even with the safety, that could result in a lawsuit. Or if, for example, the trigger on the firearm causes a delay when firing, that could also result in a lawsuit.
You will often see expert gun users taking their guns apart and inspecting them. It is important to be extremely precautious when you are around people who are not familiar with the mechanics of a firearm.
Use of Alcohol or Drugs
Being intoxicated and operating dangerous machinery is never a good idea. Too often does the combination of alcohol or drugs and firearms lead to serious injuries or even death. Being under the influence can impair the judgment of a person, leading them to engage in reckless or impulsive behavior.
Drugs and alcohol have the effect of distorting one’s perception. This can lead to misidentifying a target or improperly aiming at an unintended target.
When someone’s coordination and judgment are impaired because of consuming drugs or alcohol, they should never touch a firearm. When alcohol and gun powder mix, the consequences are often deadly.
Cole Gumm
Attorney
We are here to ensure you won’t have to face this difficult time alone.
Available 24 / 7|Free ConsultationZinda Law Group Can Represent You in an Fort Collins Accidental Shooting Case
It’s not easy to recover from an accidental shooting. If you find yourself dealing with insurmountable bills, let Zinda Law Group know. Our team can prioritize your right to recovery. You can count on our accidental shooting attorneys in Fort Collins to investigate your circumstances and fight for your right to fair compensation.
You and your loved ones can learn more about your accidental shooting rights during a free case evaluation. Contact Zinda Law Group today to get your appointment on the books.
Jason Aldridge
Attorney
We have successfully represented clients in a wide variety of cases across the country.
Available 24 / 7|Free Consultation
