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School employee shot in the leg during handgun safety class

On Behalf of | Mar 1, 2013 | Firm News, Workplace Injuries

The tragic school shooting that occurred last December was the latest in a series of violent events to take place in American schools. No matter which side of the gun debate you find yourself on, every parent in North Carolina and across the country agrees that something must be done to keep our children safe.

Each school district seems to be addressing the problem in its own way, but some are taking more direct action than others. In one recent case, a school employee suffered what most would consider to be a rather unusual work injury, given his profession. He was shot in the leg during a handgun training session sponsored by the school district.

Last month, the school board in one Texas district enacted a new policy allowing certain employees to carry guns on school property. At the time of the accident, the victim – who is a maintenance department employee – had just finished the handgun safety course. Another person was staying behind to work with the trainer when the gun they were using experienced a malfunction.

A statement from the school district says that “With the assistance of the instructor, the malfunction was addressed, but the gun misfired and the bullet ricocheted coming back to strike the (maintenance department) employee in the left leg.”

Thankfully, the man received treatment at the scene before being rushed to the hospital. He is listed in fair condition.

The story of this workplace injury is odd, but only because of the context in which it happened. Nonetheless, the man was injured in the course of employment and may soon be filing a workers’ compensation claim through his employer.

Source: USA Today, “Texas school worker shot in handgun training session,” Doug Stanglin, Feb. 28, 2013

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