Thread: boy injured after rifle "blows up"

Originally Posted by northdude

Might bring in wofs for firearms

Don't give them any ideas. We have enough new legislation to deal with.

Originally Posted by Allizdog

Don't give them any ideas. We have enough new legislation to deal with.

Theres not many WOF guys I trust with my car, Man have I got some horror stories....So no way I am letting anyone trained by the GOVT near firearms unless I have to.....

Originally Posted by northdude

Might bring in wofs for firearms

Shouldn’t need to. Pretty sure I’m arms code that firearms are to be maintained in a safe , fireable condition....happy to be corrected


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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

35 Desoto I think it is lives there (ararimu) we used to 20 odd years ago so an info I may have is a little dated, although I think I recognise the house.

Hi Guys and Gals
Yes I know the family personally. It was a genuine accident - young fella is a serious young shooter and is dynamite on rabbits, possums etc. He is in Starship hospital - his jaw is broken and facial lacerations. His Mum and Dad are by his side and I have asked them how he is today.
We heard the rescue helicopter go over our house about 8.30pm and didn't think anything about it till our daughter rang at 1.40am to tell us of the accident. His Mum hasn't slept properly as you can imagine. He was in the company of licensed firearm owners and I believe the Police investigation has not resulted in any charges being laid.
I'll update how he is once his Mum updates us and is OK for us to disclose more.

OK I've communicated with the lads Mum
She's happy for me to share some more info

Young fella was at a neighbours farm and had been target shooting with his Step Dad and a family friend who both hold FAL.
Accident happened about 8.30pm at the end of the shoot - The rescue helicopter was called and he ended up in Starship Auckland with facial wounds, broken jaw and burnt left fingers.
He was sedated for a considerable time yet today he is off the ventilator and lucid. Apparently he has told the nurses he's fine and time to go home.
There will be operation(s) to refix his jaw but that happens once some of the swelling goes down.
While Mum is very tired she is relieved that it is only as bad as this.
She wants me to stress to all that this was simply a hideous accident resulting from a mechanical malfunction.
She and I have talked at length over the firearm changes and she's a bit of a dyed in the wool country girl who loves seeing her children grow up in a natural environment. She has no regrets over the young fella having legal access to or using firearms hence she wants stressed that its a mechanical failure and not a mishandling or improper use situation. The family are right into dirt bikes and they have had plenty of accidents on those too

Cheers Brett

Thanks Brett. Firearms are the result of human engineering and like anything engineered they can and do fail.

Glad to hear the young fella is OK. Hope he'll be up and running soon. Saved to hunt another day.

Originally Posted by 35desoto

OK I've communicated with the lads Mum
She's happy for me to share some more info

Young fella was at a neighbours farm and had been target shooting with his Step Dad and a family friend who both hold FAL.
Accident happened about 8.30pm at the end of the shoot - The rescue helicopter was called and he ended up in Starship Auckland with facial wounds, broken jaw and burnt left fingers.
He was sedated for a considerable time yet today he is off the ventilator and lucid. Apparently he has told the nurses he's fine and time to go home.
There will be operation(s) to refix his jaw but that happens once some of the swelling goes down.
While Mum is very tired she is relieved that it is only as bad as this.
She wants me to stress to all that this was simply a hideous accident resulting from a mechanical malfunction.
She and I have talked at length over the firearm changes and she's a bit of a dyed in the wool country girl who loves seeing her children grow up in a natural environment. She has no regrets over the young fella having legal access to or using firearms hence she wants stressed that its a mechanical failure and not a mishandling or improper use situation. The family are right into dirt bikes and they have had plenty of accidents on those too

Cheers Brett

Please pass on our regards and love.

It would be very interesting to know just exactly what the firearm 'was' and what happened. Do we need to be doing better pre-flight checks on firearms ? In hindsight were there signs that this firearm should not have been used. What can be learned ?

All,
The lad is out of ICU and in a general ward. His parents are staying with him - something thats a good part of the Starship hospital. He seems to be recovering as well as can be expected but the ops are still on for the broken jaw at some stage.
Once his Mum cools a bit I will ask what the actual failure was. It may be as simple as a well worn older rifle in the "bolt" area but that would merely be speculation on my part.
The article in STUFF is certainly an interesting take on the incident - That picture of the Forensic tent on the front lawn was good headline news. Now its all yesterdays history - Sensationalism at its best.

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Originally Posted by 35desoto

All,
The lad is out of ICU and in a general ward. His parents are staying with him - something thats a good part of the Starship hospital. He seems to be recovering as well as can be expected but the ops are still on for the broken jaw at some stage.
Once his Mum cools a bit I will ask what the actual failure was. It may be as simple as a well worn older rifle in the "bolt" area but that would merely be speculation on my part.
The article in STUFF is certainly an interesting take on the incident - That picture of the Forensic tent on the front lawn was good headline news. Now its all yesterdays history - Sensationalism at its best.

Thanks for keeping us updated @35desoto
Any info on the actual failure if and when available would be great for all of us to learn from.

media are full of shit!

Yes thank you very much @35desoto for taking the time to post here and keeping us updated as @Rushy said!
Send the family A Happy Christmas and Wish him a speedy recovery

Extra Extra read all about it!! There was a time when the newspapers were to be believed however.........

In all seriousness The young fella will be home either later today or tomorrow. His jaw has been plated - the sutures can come out at a later time
He has a small fragment in a non vital part of his eye that will be removed by an Opthamology expert later on.
Maxillofacial specialist says scarring will be minimal but he can get plastic surgery if necessary.
I know children can heal quickly but we are all relieved that his injuries were not more serious.
He is fortunate to be able to come home for Christmas. The joke now is he'll be fine in time to return to school. So much for his holidays this time round LOL.

Thanks for all the words of support and encouragement Guys
I have passed them all on to his Mum who appreciates every single one.