KWWL.com - News & Weather for Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids & Iowa City, Iowa | One shot in hunting accident

One shot in hunting accident

CHELSEA (KWWL) - Wednesday's hunting accident in Tama County can serve as a reminder for hunters to use extra caution around their firearms.

Conservation officers say the accident happened in a hunting preserve west of Belle Plaine during a lunch break. As one hunter was closing the action on his shotgun, it went off, blasting a hole in a nearby truck and causing pellets to ricochet into another man's face and chest.

"The accident today was no fault of the individual that discharged the fire arm. the gun went off on its own, apparently, but it was pointed in an unsafe direction and when it went off, the victim was hit with several pellet."

Pheasant hunting season began just a few weeks ago and will continue for another 2 months. Reece says a malfunction can happen at any time.

"Respect every firearm. If you don't respect the firearm, it's going to come back to bite you. That's the most important thing to remember. This is a good example of it is consciously knowing which direction the muzzle's pointed. Pointing it in a safe direction all the time even when the gun's unloaded keeping your finger off the trigger til you're ready to fire.

The victim is expected to be OK. Conservation officers say it was purely an accident.

Online Reporter:  Bob Waters