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| Teen loses hand in gun explosion Wednesday, July 14, 2010 Carolea Hassard
A 16-year-old Springtown student lost his left hand when a black-powder muzzleloader gun exploded as he was firing it the evening of July 4.
Patrick Edmunds was with his mother and father, Barbara and Scotty, celebrating Independence Day with friends at a home in Reno when the accident occurred.
“The barrel exploded,” Barbara said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “We were all right there. The owner shot it a couple of times, his dad shot it a couple of times and he wanted to shoot it. “It was just a fluke, a crazy, terrible thing,” she said. “He has about a half-inch of his palm left.” Family and friends were firing the gun “for the noise,” she added. “There wasn’t any (projectile) in it. They were putting black powder and wad in it.”
Barbara said couldn’t wait for an ambulance to arrive at the Reno home. “It could be 30 or 40 minutes,” she said. Barbara took Pat to the Azle hospital herself. He was then transported to Harris Methodist in Fort Worth by ambulance. Pat stayed in Harris from Sunday to Friday and is recovering at home now. “He’s handling it very well,” Barbara said. “He’s in good spirits.” Pat, who is right-handed, will undergo healing and therapy before deciding on what prosthetic to wear, she said. “He has to let it heal from the inside out,” Barbara said, “and then get whatever prosthetic he wants.” Barbara could not talk about the gun, including what kind it was or where it was being kept, but she did agree it was not in storage with any law enforcement agency. “It’s locked in a safe place....so when the attorney says we need it, it can be transferred out without anyone else touching it,” she said. Barbara’s son-in-law’s sister, Rebecca Seybert, has started a fund at Wells Fargo Bank to help with medical costs. Those who want to help may go into any branch of the bank and make a deposit in Patrick’s name, although the money may only be withdrawn by Seybert. She has also placed jars in businesses around Springtown, which she empties periodically to deposit in the bank, Barbara said. Both Pat and his dad are hunters and have experience with guns, Barbara said. Pat will be a junior at SHS this fall. |
