Hunting Accidents

There are many circumstances that can lead to injuries or death while hunting. At Monsees & Mayer, P.C. we have experience with them all. Whether you are a firearms hunter or bow hunter, whether you hunt from the ground or from elevated tree stands, whether your injury was self-inflicted or at the hands of a companion or bystander—we are prepared to investigate and evaluate your injuries.

The true cause of a hunting injury may not always be how it looks on the surface; sometimes they are caused by the carelessness of companions. At other times, dangerous products may be involved. Still other injuries may be the result of man-made hazards on the real property where a hunt is conducted. Each scenario requires the careful examination and investigation of an experienced attorney.

If you or someone you love was injured while hunting or shooting guns, you may have the right to seek compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost income, and other losses. Seeking legal counsel from Monsees & Mayer will ensure you are dealing with attorneys who not only know hunting products and firearms, but are hunters and gun gurus themselves.

Our attorneys represent people who are injured due to the negligence of others in all types of sporting and hunting accidents. We represent injured hunters and family members in cases of wrongful death in hunting and shooting accidents nationwide. We have represented clients injured in Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Arizona, New York, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon, Alaska, Alabama, Louisiana, and Montana, including many of the prime hunting areas near Table Rock Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, and western Kansas.

Hunting tragedies occur with each hunting season. Contact our attorneys to get your questions answered.

Many hunting injury accidents involve the negligence of another, whether it be another hunter, product manufacturer, or landowner. Here are a few examples:

Gunshot Injuries

Most gunshot injuries involve members of the same hunting party who are in close proximity at the time of the accident; examples of this include accidental discharge when crossing a fence, tripping, or handing a weapon to another person. Sometimes hunters are quick to fire at anything that moves and might mistake a person for game. In many of these cases, alcohol is a factor. 

Damages in these cases are often covered by the negligent hunter’s homeowner’s insurance. Claims or lawsuits may also arise when gun owners fail to properly store and secure firearms, resulting in access to children or unknowing adults who cause or suffer their own gunshot wounds.

Defective Deer Stands

Hunters can suffer devastating injuries and even death when a tree stand buckles or breaks while in use. These accidents may be caused by poor design, defective parts, or inadequate safety warnings. In these cases, the manufacturer, distributor, and even the store that sold the product may be liable.

The consequences can be disastrous when someone plummets 20 or more feet to the ground. Fractures, brain trauma, paralysis, or death may result. Even tree stand safety devices, such as full body harnesses or safety straps, can cost a life they were intended to save. A prime example of this is suspension trauma, which can result from a tree stand collapse or fall and involves someone being dangerously suspended from a tree.

The attorneys of Monsees & Mayer P.C. have written a free booklet that examines this issue in greater detail, available for download by clicking here. 

Defective Firearms

Guns with design or manufacturing defects, such as the Remington 700, are accidents waiting to happen. The manufacturer, distributor, even the store that sold the gun, may be liable. Some such injuries are self-inflicted, but many people do not recognize that a self-inflicted wound can be the result of a defect in the firearm or ammunition.

Any firearm that fires without a pull of the trigger should be investigated for possible product defects. A rifle should not fire when the mechanical safety is engaged, when the trigger has not been pulled, or when it is dropped. Handguns or long guns can both suffer from product defects. Even defective air rifles can seriously injure or kill a hunter. Nearly all firearm manufacturers have recalled defective guns at one time or another, although the times when such manufacturers should have recalled defective firearms and did not are more numerous.

ATV Injuries

Accidents involving all-terrain vehicles are unfortunately common on hunting trips. If the accident was caused by a design or manufacturing defect, the manufacturer of the ATV may be liable. If the accident was caused by a careless operator, his or her homeowner’s insurance may pay for your losses. ATVs may suddenly accelerate or have stability or steering defects that should be addressed by proper legal action.