Our office has investigated many accidents in order to determine liability, and we know how to help you during this difficult time. Contact Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C., to speak with our experienced Alabama hunting accident attorneys today. Call us today at (205) 933-1500.
Thousands of people go hunting across Alabama every year, and they hunt in various places, weather conditions, and with a variety of weapons. Just like any other outdoor sporting activity, injuries happen every year, and determining liability in hunting accidents requires finding out exactly what happened and if anyone involved was acting recklessly. Demonstrating that another party was negligent can help you recover compensation for any injury that you or a loved one suffered while hunting, but it’s important to seek skilled legal counsel without delay if you are in this situation.
Hunting Accidents Can Occur Due to Many Different Negligent Acts
You can be hurt in a hunting accident due to somebody’s negligent use or handling of a firearm or bow. However, while certain hunting injuries are clearly the result of negligent handling of a weapon, other cases are not as straightforward. In order to recover compensation from the reckless person, your lawyer will have to prove how they were reckless and then demonstrate how this reckless behavior directly caused your injuries. While each hunting accident is unique in its details and how it affects the injured parties, accidents that involve a firearm or bow can arise from situations such as:
- The accidental discharge of a weapon. This can happen if somebody is careless in handling or transporting a firearm. While the law may only require a firearm to be unloaded and in a case while being transported in a vehicle, a person can still be negligent if handling it in a fashion that makes it likely to fire while near other people.
- Shooting a person who is mistaken for a wild animal. Those who are hunting in poor visibility, or with less than perfect eyesight, should not be in a situation where they can easily confuse a person with the animal they are hunting.
- Missing a target, or experiencing a ricochet. Accidentally missing and hitting someone, or having a bullet bounce off a surface and strike someone, happens more than you think. While this can be due to negligence on the shooter’s part, it can also be the fault of the person who set up the target or manages the property where the accident occurred.
Establishing Liability in a Hunting Accident
People usually believe that liability in hunting accidents belongs to the person who was holding the weapon before it hurt someone else. While this is often the case, your hunting accident must be thoroughly investigated since other less obvious parties may hold some responsibility for your injuries. As personal injury lawyers with years of experience, we know how to look at all possibilities while we investigate the cause of our clients’ accidents. Those who may be partially or fully responsible for your accident could include:
- The weapon manufacturer– Compensation may be won as a result of a successful product liability case against the company who manufactured the weapon that you used while hunting. Winning compensation in this type of lawsuit requires investigating the technicalities of the product in order to find out where it failed.
- The owner or occupier of the property where you were injured– Those who host guests or customers on their property have a duty to avoid unreasonable risks to people who are present. These premises liability suits can revolve around many factors such as a failure to tell you about a clear danger, or not posting proper warnings about certain known hazards.
Talk to the Alabama Hunting Accident Attorneys with Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. Today
Establishing liability in hunting accidents can pose unique challenges, so, therefore, you will need an experienced personal injury attorney to help you seek compensation if you or a loved one have been hurt due to the negligence of another person while hunting. These accidents can be devastating, sometimes even causing death. The premises liability lawyers of Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. have years of experience handling hunting accident cases. We know how to investigate your accident, negotiate with insurance companies, and take your case to court if necessary to get you the compensation you deserve.
Contact our office today to speak with a skilled Alabama hunting accident attorney about your potential case, and how we can help you during your recovery. Contact us today at (205) 933-1500 for a free consultation.
