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Click on images to enlarge
The determination of whether a shooting incident was an "accident"
or not is a complex subject which involves a number of factors. With every
claim that an "accident" has happened there may be a number of questions
which arise, such as:
| 1) | What is the basis for a claim of "accident"? |
| 2) | Was an "accident" caused by some mechanical malfunction of the firearm? |
| 3) | Was an "accident" caused by some malfunction of the ammunition used? |
| 4) | Were the actions of the individuals involved causative to the shooting
incident? |
| 5) | Was the shooting incident a suicide or not? |
I attempt to answer these and many other types of questions which
arise out of "accidental" shootings by a thorough study of the shooting
scene using the principles outlined under the Shooting Scene Reconstruction
section of the Services Available list. Over the years, I've had a number of
cases where I've been able to resolve issues of whether the shooting incident
was an "accident" or not, and while true shooting "accidents" are uncommon
they do, in fact, occur from time to time.
 
The photographs above show an "exploded" cartridge case which
resulted in injury to the shooter in a firearms accident.
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