If you are accidentally shot on a gun range, don't just focus on the shooter when seeking payment for your damages. Apart from the shooter, other parties may be liable for your injuries. Some of these parties include:
Gun Range Management
The gun range management becomes liable for your injuries if you can prove that it failed in its duties of keeping its patrons safe. Consider a gun range that does not have policies for keeping young children away from guns on its premises. In such a case, you may hold the range liable for your injuries if a kid gets hold of a gun and accidentally shoots you.
Instructor
Guns are inherently dangerous things, and everybody requires good training to use them. Poor training, however, may leave a shooter even more dangerous than an untrained person. The poorly trained shooter may handle the gun with false confidence and easily cause an accidental injury. Therefore, an instructor that fails in their duty of teaching a person how to handle a gun safely may be liable for the injuries caused by the poorly trained person.
Parent of the Shooter
In many places, parents are held responsible for the misdeeds of their kids. Parents are expected to supervise and control their children's actions. A parent who fails to do that becomes liable for the child's misdeeds. At the same time, some laws that specifically penalize adults who let guns fall into the hands of minors. Therefore, if a child shoots you on a gun range, the parent of the child may also be responsible for your injuries.
Gun Manufacturer
You may also hold the manufacturer liable for your injuries if a gun accidentally discharges due to a manufacturers defect. For example, a poorly manufactured gun may explode while being handled, sending shrapnel flying in all directions. If you are hurt by the shrapnel, then the manufacturer (and in some cases the store who sold the gun to the shooter) becomes liable for your damages as per product liability rules.
The more liable parties you identify, the higher your chances of getting adequate compensation for your injuries. Going after the wrong people is just a waste of resources because your claims won't be paid. At the same time, ignoring some liable parties limits your recovery. For example, you may not be adequately compensated if one of the liable parties don't have the means to pay your full settlement. Talk to an injury lawyer to help you identify all the people responsible for your injury. Contact a lawyer, such as Josh D. Tucker, P.C., for more information.
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