A Hunting Trip Turns Into a Fight for Survival
A teenager faces a grueling recovery after a accidental gunshot wound forces an emergency trip to a Pasco hospital.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
While hunting last Sunday morning near the W. H. Ferguson home south of town, Donald McCready, 17, was accidentally shot and seriously injured. He had borrowed a shotgun from Mr. Ferguson and, while reaching into his car for shells, leaned the gun against the front fender. As he stepped onto the running board, the spring shifted, causing the barrel to slide; the running board caught the hammer, discharging the weapon. The blast tore through the calf of his leg, causing severe bleeding. A companion applied a tourniquet, saving his life until medical aid arrived. McCready was later transported by ambulance to a hospital in Pasco, where X-rays were taken to assess the damage and determine if amputation would be required. He remains in the hospital as of Friday, where doctors are working to remove the remaining shot from his leg.
“The charge entered the calf of the leg tearing away the flesh and making an ugly wound.”
Accidental discharges were a recurring hazard in an era where firearms were ubiquitous tools of rural life. Today, while the tools and transport have changed, the trauma of such accidents remains a visceral part of life in isolated, small-town settings.
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