sxshep
Member
First thing is first; Hello and thanks for all the information on your forum... this is my first post, though I have occasionally been visiting the forums without an account to browse over all the info. I finally made an account and am posting my story because I would like my story (and others like it) to reach as many gun owners as possible. I feel that seeing examples like mine will serve as a reminder to all gun owners to be vigilant in their efforts to avoid these situations.
Seeing a few other postings like mine have made me felt much better about my situation, and I feel that trying to get the word out about what can happen when your mind is not focused on safety FIRST will make me feel better as well. You may have seen this posted on 1911forums already, and I'm sorry about the HUGE post but it makes for a good read I suppose.
Soooooo, the story goes as follows... I was having an issue with my Kimber Custom II, where each ejected brass would have a nasty dent on the side. By the advice of some friends and fellow gun owners, I removed the firing pin and cycled some rounds out of my magazine. The issue was as the round would feed, it would get a small dent by the feeding ramp, though I could not generate the force needed to exactly replicate it.
Now that I was finished testing, I put it all back together and racked the slide (empty). The first two times I racked the slide, the hammer followed the slide and would not stay back. I took the gun apart, didn't notice anything out-of-the-usual, so I put it back together. This time, I only racked the slide once. The hammer stayed back, I felt it was fixed. In hindsight, I should have racked it a few more times and tested out the trigger/sear engagement, but I felt good enough about the pistol at this point.
So, I loaded one round in the magazine and pointed in, what I thought at the time, was safe direction. Out of habit while sitting on the couch, I had my left leg crossed over my right, and was working on the pistol kind of leaned over to my right side. So, as soon as the slide came down, the gun went off. I was in disbelief, and I didn't feel any pain until I felt a trickle of blood run down my leg, and once I saw the blood I felt like my leg was on fire.
I tried to stand up, but the 230gr. FMJ had done it's job and shattered the bone (Tibula) in my shin. Fortunately, I had the cell phone near me and quickly dialed 911. I gave them the address, advised them that the gun was clear and the officers would have to enter in the rear of the house to access my third floor apartment. Sidenote; A few days after this incident, I found out a buddy of mine from volunteering in a police explorers program is now a dispatcher, and emailed me the 911 recording. I'm surprised how calm I was after being shot.
Next, I was forced to do the most painful and difficult thing I've ever done in my entire life. With 911 on speakerphone in my pocket, I had to make it to the other end of my apartment to get the keys, make it all the way back to the window in the rear living room, and drop them down to rescue workers. It took a few minutes, and I got blood EVERYWHERE, but I managed to push myself down the hallway and reach the rear window, where I made contact with rescue workers.
To get out of my apartment, they had wrapped my leg in cloth and some cheap cardboard box thing, and told me I had to hop down 3 flights of stairs to get to the stretcher in back....
greeeeeat. Each step I took, I could feel the bones mashing the muscle in my leg and watched as it wiggled side-to-side.
Once I got to the hospital, I was advised I would have to wait until 7:30am for surgery (I arrived around 1:30am Sunday morning to the ER). Fortunately, an 8 inch nail and 4 screws was all that was needed to hold the bone in place. Surgery took 2 hours and I just got released from the hospital the next day after staying for about 38 hours.
Pictures below... some show blood and the xrays are graphic, so proceed with caution.
Picture from the ER, showing entrance wound...
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/Cell phone/8cad6bad.jpg
A few days later having 20 staples and 11 stitches removed...
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/Cell phone/17b97c81.jpg
Xrays (before surgery)... paper clips to show entrance/exit wounds.
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/Before_Side.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/Before_Top2.jpg
Xrays (after surgery)...
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/After_Side2.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/After_Top2.jpg
Reasons I consider myself EXTREMELY lucky....
1) The only reason it was a FMJ, and not a 230gr. Winchester Bonded JHP, was because a day earlier I was having issues with the cartridge feeding in my pistol... had it been a JHP, the wound cavity could have been much much worse. The bullet also broke up and never left the apartment; in fact, police found the copper jacket from the bullet about 10 feet from where I was shot.
2) I have all the feeling in my leg, was told no major arteries or veins were struck, and the bleeding stopped after a day or so.... other than the rod and some scars, no permanent damage.
3) If the bullet had struck the knee or ankle, I would be facing a much much much worse recovery and probably more surgery.... not to mention, had the bullet struck my thigh, there's a good chance I could have bled out in my apartment before they gained access, and shattered my femur in the process.
4) The support from my family, friends and coworkers has been absolutely AMAZING... I've only been at my current place of employment for 9 months so I don't qualify for FMLA, but I do have a chance to go on short term disability. Also, I have a place to stay with my parents (since I can't live in my 3rd floor apartment for a few weeks).
5) Here is the best part.... only about a month ago, we had open enrollment for health insurance at my work... I was very close to canceling my insurance because I have not been to the doctor in 3 years, and never use it. But, since I can live off my income while paying the insurance, I renewed. Fortunately I did, because I only have a $250 deductible for inpatient and $20 per visit to the therapist. That's it, I didn't realize how good the insurance was.... I'm very very fortunate.
Lessons learned
I'm not sure how this happened, and won't until I see the gun again... it's possible that my finger slipped off the frame and landed on the trigger. It's possible that I did not install the firing pin block correctly, causing the firing pin to protrude out the chamber and causing the round to go off immediately, and it's also possible that the hammer followed the slide and came down on the firing pin. I will have the pistol inspected once I get back to my apartment.
Either way, ALWAYS point the weapon in a safe direction, and triple-quadruple check the function of the weapon before loading a live round in the chamber. I got complacent, forgot that my leg was crossed in front of me when I chambered the round, and I took the bullet. Had it not hit me, it would have exited the side of my roof in my third floor apartment and gone elsewhere.
Also, unless you are completely sure of what you are doing and how the weapon operates, don't do your own at-home gun smithing. I felt I could function check the weapon for a minor issue that I was having, but I should have used snap caps and never should have messed with disassembling the firing pin assembly. I'm relatively new to the 1911 platform (bought it about a month ago) and should have left it with a professional.
Afterthoughts;
For the first day or so, I felt like the dumbest person in the world... How could I have been so stupid to let this happen (whether it was mechanical or my finger slipped, and also not realize where my leg was). I've taken NRA safety courses, gone to a few law enforcement range days, had my concealed carry permit for about 2 years, and have owned handguns for about 7. I'm not so much humiliated or embarrassed about the incident (if I were, I certainly wouldn't be telling people about it), but I am angry that I let this happen to myself. If I had followed the basic rules of handgun safety (specifically, making sure of where the gun was pointed), this wouldn't have happened.
I have posted this story on 1911forums, and a few local forums... I fully expected to get bombarded by the "you're an idiot" or "that could have easily been prevented", because honestly, both are true in this case. That part I was prepared for, but even though I was prepared for the skepticism and cynicism, it still makes me question whether I can be responsible and safe, and whether the guns will go off without the trigger being pressed again. Overall though, the responses have been positive and it seems most are thankful for the gruesome reminder in gun safety.
The past week has been extremely demanding, both physically and mentally. I've had quite a few nightmares, one of which included the same scenario only with an 8 round mag and it didn't stop firing until all 8 were in my leg. Another nightmare involved me at a gun range and the person one lane over shot me when he was reloading. A lot of different situations, different shoulda-coulda-woulda scenarios have been flashing through my head, and I'm sure it will take a long time for those thoughts to cease. I can still hear the gunshot in my head, and can remember it going off as if it happened just moments ago.
I certainly do not want anyone to have a negligent discharge again, and with some diligent education and continued awareness of cases like mine, I think they can be at least reduced. I've already shared my story with almost every gun owner I know personally, and told them to be careful and leave gun-smithing to the professionals. I know I won't have loaded guns around me as often, maybe just keep one for EDC and keep it in the holster, the rest will be in a case locked up unloaded.
The next 5 or 6 weeks of physical therapy and learning to walk again will be tough until I start back to work (hopefully not longer than that)... but, as I've mentioned many times before this, I'm very blessed that this was not worse. Fortunately my parents like having me around the house, so at least I have a nice place to lay my head. I'd hate to be back at my non-AC third floor apartment
Again I thank everyone for the support, and thank even those who aren't so supportive who chime in to keep the thread moving and voice their thoughts... I'm not so much embarrassed as I am disappointed and angry with myself. This was an unfortunate accident that could have been prevented, an example of what happens when you're mind is not on safety, and it's a lesson which will last the rest of my life.
As an added food-for-thought piece of advice:
From here on out, I will keep an extra set of keys with a snap glow-stick hanging near my rear windows. In the event of another emergency, I won't have to go fishing for the keys while rescue workers wait outside. All I'd have to do is tell the dispatcher to advise responding units to look for the glow stick in the back yard. I'd recommend this to anyone who may think it will be useful in the event of an injury or similar circumstance, and in similar living arrangements. This would have saved me a lot of time, pain and blood as I dragged my carcass up and down the hallway leaving a trail of blood as I went.
Be careful, people... accidents happen! I got pretty lucky, all things considered.
Seeing a few other postings like mine have made me felt much better about my situation, and I feel that trying to get the word out about what can happen when your mind is not focused on safety FIRST will make me feel better as well. You may have seen this posted on 1911forums already, and I'm sorry about the HUGE post but it makes for a good read I suppose.
Soooooo, the story goes as follows... I was having an issue with my Kimber Custom II, where each ejected brass would have a nasty dent on the side. By the advice of some friends and fellow gun owners, I removed the firing pin and cycled some rounds out of my magazine. The issue was as the round would feed, it would get a small dent by the feeding ramp, though I could not generate the force needed to exactly replicate it.
Now that I was finished testing, I put it all back together and racked the slide (empty). The first two times I racked the slide, the hammer followed the slide and would not stay back. I took the gun apart, didn't notice anything out-of-the-usual, so I put it back together. This time, I only racked the slide once. The hammer stayed back, I felt it was fixed. In hindsight, I should have racked it a few more times and tested out the trigger/sear engagement, but I felt good enough about the pistol at this point.
So, I loaded one round in the magazine and pointed in, what I thought at the time, was safe direction. Out of habit while sitting on the couch, I had my left leg crossed over my right, and was working on the pistol kind of leaned over to my right side. So, as soon as the slide came down, the gun went off. I was in disbelief, and I didn't feel any pain until I felt a trickle of blood run down my leg, and once I saw the blood I felt like my leg was on fire.
I tried to stand up, but the 230gr. FMJ had done it's job and shattered the bone (Tibula) in my shin. Fortunately, I had the cell phone near me and quickly dialed 911. I gave them the address, advised them that the gun was clear and the officers would have to enter in the rear of the house to access my third floor apartment. Sidenote; A few days after this incident, I found out a buddy of mine from volunteering in a police explorers program is now a dispatcher, and emailed me the 911 recording. I'm surprised how calm I was after being shot.
Next, I was forced to do the most painful and difficult thing I've ever done in my entire life. With 911 on speakerphone in my pocket, I had to make it to the other end of my apartment to get the keys, make it all the way back to the window in the rear living room, and drop them down to rescue workers. It took a few minutes, and I got blood EVERYWHERE, but I managed to push myself down the hallway and reach the rear window, where I made contact with rescue workers.
To get out of my apartment, they had wrapped my leg in cloth and some cheap cardboard box thing, and told me I had to hop down 3 flights of stairs to get to the stretcher in back....
greeeeeat. Each step I took, I could feel the bones mashing the muscle in my leg and watched as it wiggled side-to-side.Once I got to the hospital, I was advised I would have to wait until 7:30am for surgery (I arrived around 1:30am Sunday morning to the ER). Fortunately, an 8 inch nail and 4 screws was all that was needed to hold the bone in place. Surgery took 2 hours and I just got released from the hospital the next day after staying for about 38 hours.
Pictures below... some show blood and the xrays are graphic, so proceed with caution.
Picture from the ER, showing entrance wound...
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/Cell phone/8cad6bad.jpg
A few days later having 20 staples and 11 stitches removed...
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/Cell phone/17b97c81.jpg
Xrays (before surgery)... paper clips to show entrance/exit wounds.
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/Before_Side.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/Before_Top2.jpg
Xrays (after surgery)...
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/After_Side2.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x225/shepshep240/After_Top2.jpg
Reasons I consider myself EXTREMELY lucky....
1) The only reason it was a FMJ, and not a 230gr. Winchester Bonded JHP, was because a day earlier I was having issues with the cartridge feeding in my pistol... had it been a JHP, the wound cavity could have been much much worse. The bullet also broke up and never left the apartment; in fact, police found the copper jacket from the bullet about 10 feet from where I was shot.
2) I have all the feeling in my leg, was told no major arteries or veins were struck, and the bleeding stopped after a day or so.... other than the rod and some scars, no permanent damage.
3) If the bullet had struck the knee or ankle, I would be facing a much much much worse recovery and probably more surgery.... not to mention, had the bullet struck my thigh, there's a good chance I could have bled out in my apartment before they gained access, and shattered my femur in the process.
4) The support from my family, friends and coworkers has been absolutely AMAZING... I've only been at my current place of employment for 9 months so I don't qualify for FMLA, but I do have a chance to go on short term disability. Also, I have a place to stay with my parents (since I can't live in my 3rd floor apartment for a few weeks).
5) Here is the best part.... only about a month ago, we had open enrollment for health insurance at my work... I was very close to canceling my insurance because I have not been to the doctor in 3 years, and never use it. But, since I can live off my income while paying the insurance, I renewed. Fortunately I did, because I only have a $250 deductible for inpatient and $20 per visit to the therapist. That's it, I didn't realize how good the insurance was.... I'm very very fortunate.
Lessons learned
I'm not sure how this happened, and won't until I see the gun again... it's possible that my finger slipped off the frame and landed on the trigger. It's possible that I did not install the firing pin block correctly, causing the firing pin to protrude out the chamber and causing the round to go off immediately, and it's also possible that the hammer followed the slide and came down on the firing pin. I will have the pistol inspected once I get back to my apartment.
Either way, ALWAYS point the weapon in a safe direction, and triple-quadruple check the function of the weapon before loading a live round in the chamber. I got complacent, forgot that my leg was crossed in front of me when I chambered the round, and I took the bullet. Had it not hit me, it would have exited the side of my roof in my third floor apartment and gone elsewhere.
Also, unless you are completely sure of what you are doing and how the weapon operates, don't do your own at-home gun smithing. I felt I could function check the weapon for a minor issue that I was having, but I should have used snap caps and never should have messed with disassembling the firing pin assembly. I'm relatively new to the 1911 platform (bought it about a month ago) and should have left it with a professional.
Afterthoughts;
For the first day or so, I felt like the dumbest person in the world... How could I have been so stupid to let this happen (whether it was mechanical or my finger slipped, and also not realize where my leg was). I've taken NRA safety courses, gone to a few law enforcement range days, had my concealed carry permit for about 2 years, and have owned handguns for about 7. I'm not so much humiliated or embarrassed about the incident (if I were, I certainly wouldn't be telling people about it), but I am angry that I let this happen to myself. If I had followed the basic rules of handgun safety (specifically, making sure of where the gun was pointed), this wouldn't have happened.
I have posted this story on 1911forums, and a few local forums... I fully expected to get bombarded by the "you're an idiot" or "that could have easily been prevented", because honestly, both are true in this case. That part I was prepared for, but even though I was prepared for the skepticism and cynicism, it still makes me question whether I can be responsible and safe, and whether the guns will go off without the trigger being pressed again. Overall though, the responses have been positive and it seems most are thankful for the gruesome reminder in gun safety.
The past week has been extremely demanding, both physically and mentally. I've had quite a few nightmares, one of which included the same scenario only with an 8 round mag and it didn't stop firing until all 8 were in my leg. Another nightmare involved me at a gun range and the person one lane over shot me when he was reloading. A lot of different situations, different shoulda-coulda-woulda scenarios have been flashing through my head, and I'm sure it will take a long time for those thoughts to cease. I can still hear the gunshot in my head, and can remember it going off as if it happened just moments ago.
I certainly do not want anyone to have a negligent discharge again, and with some diligent education and continued awareness of cases like mine, I think they can be at least reduced. I've already shared my story with almost every gun owner I know personally, and told them to be careful and leave gun-smithing to the professionals. I know I won't have loaded guns around me as often, maybe just keep one for EDC and keep it in the holster, the rest will be in a case locked up unloaded.
The next 5 or 6 weeks of physical therapy and learning to walk again will be tough until I start back to work (hopefully not longer than that)... but, as I've mentioned many times before this, I'm very blessed that this was not worse. Fortunately my parents like having me around the house, so at least I have a nice place to lay my head. I'd hate to be back at my non-AC third floor apartment
Again I thank everyone for the support, and thank even those who aren't so supportive who chime in to keep the thread moving and voice their thoughts... I'm not so much embarrassed as I am disappointed and angry with myself. This was an unfortunate accident that could have been prevented, an example of what happens when you're mind is not on safety, and it's a lesson which will last the rest of my life.
As an added food-for-thought piece of advice:
From here on out, I will keep an extra set of keys with a snap glow-stick hanging near my rear windows. In the event of another emergency, I won't have to go fishing for the keys while rescue workers wait outside. All I'd have to do is tell the dispatcher to advise responding units to look for the glow stick in the back yard. I'd recommend this to anyone who may think it will be useful in the event of an injury or similar circumstance, and in similar living arrangements. This would have saved me a lot of time, pain and blood as I dragged my carcass up and down the hallway leaving a trail of blood as I went.
Be careful, people... accidents happen! I got pretty lucky, all things considered.
