Police: Man Accidentally Shot Himself on Route 29
The Exton man, in his car at the time, drove himself to Phoenixville Hospital.
An Exton man went to Phoenixville Hospital last weekend after he apparently shot himself while driving, Upper Providence Police are reporting.
According to the department, the 33-year-old, whose name is being withheld, was driving in the southbound lane of route 29 in Mont Clare on Sunday at approximately 3 a.m. when he attempted to transfer a .38-caliber handgun from his pants to his jacket pocket and accidentally discharged the weapon, shooting himself in the left lower leg.
The man was able to drive himself to Phoenixville Hospital after giving himself the wound, where Upper Providence Police met him and filled out an incident report.
The man was transferred to Paoli Hospital Trauma Center for surgery.
Police provided no information on the registration status of the gun, though the weapon and the man's vehicle were impounded by police. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
ed r.
5:02 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Somebody needs to go retake a firearms safety course...
Laura S
8:26 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Guns aren't the problem. Stupidity is.
Chris Loos
2:29 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Unfortunately, we can't regulate stupidity. But we can regulate guns.
growyourown
8:26 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
you are now harry finsters love child? wow how things change so fast
ed r.
8:29 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
born out of a romance between harry finster, and my then 10 year old mother, I've been searching all my life to replace the whole in my soul when my father harry left us.
nameless citizen
8:44 pm on Wednesday, January 30, 2013
To bad he didn't blow another part of his anatomy off, the last thing we need is people like him reproducing.
Laura S
1:04 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Excellent!
John Q. Public
7:09 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
I would support a minimum IQ certificate, awarded after mandatory testing, to accompany the present background check during firearm's sales.
Earnest
10:55 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
IQ and commonsense are two different things. Haven't you ever met an extremely intelligent person and one who is very book smart, whose actions severely lack commonsense and/or social skills.
Bill N.
8:10 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Why is his name being withheld?
John Q. Public
8:24 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
If he didn't break a law - this was just an accident - there's no reason to disclose his name, and HIPAA rules may apply.
Joe Phoenix
10:58 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Hmmmm, sounds like there is something more to this story that was not disclosed. Why was he moving the gun? If it fits in his pants pocket it must have been small enough to leave it alone. Sounds like a potential road rage incident that may have backfired. (no pun intended)
the original harry finster1
11:26 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
he was so excited driving through phoenixville ,it was his kind of town he had a mechanical ejaculation
Paul Dougherty
12:43 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
All guns are always loaded!
Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy!
Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target!1
Always be sure of your target!
ed r.
12:47 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Gotta wonder if he had a CCW permit. In other states, they make a safety class mandatory to get one. Thats not the case here in PA, and obviously our guy really could of used one..
the original harry finster1
3:08 pm on Sunday, February 3, 2013
i was thinking of naming you sue but johnny cash beat me to it
Joan Welliver
8:33 pm on Sunday, February 3, 2013
A lot of people who go to Phoenixville Hospital and have no ins. So they will bandage the wound and have them flown to Paoli, Phoenixville Hospital had a friend of mine in the ER because he had cancer and did not want to die in front of his family and because he had no ins, they admitted him overnight and in the morning they told him he could not stay and would be discharged within an hour. When they came into the room to wheel him out he was dead.. I was over at Paoli Hospital last week because my Dr. is in Paoli and that Hospital is so beautiful. Phoenixville Hospital is dirty. Trust me dirty!
Regina DiLabbio Klugh King
7:18 am on Monday, February 4, 2013
3:00 am and locked and loaded. This would never have happened to Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers or the Lone Ranger! This driver exercised more than his 2nd Amendment rights. Give the guy a squirt gun next time!
Moe
1:01 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
I can understand if it was in his pants pocket it may have been uncomfortable while seated, but it was a foolish move on his part to try to transfer the firearm while driving. From the story I assume the gun wasn't in a holster which could have protected the trigger from an accidental pull.
As for the article, there is no "registration" in Pennsylvania. Whether or not he was legally transporting the firearm in his vehicle is a detail that is missing. To carry a gun concealed on one's person or a loaded gun in a vehicle, one must possess a valid PA License to Carry Firearms or similar permit from a reciprocating state.
JDBroomall
12:16 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Moe: Slight correction. There are situations where you don't need a license to carry in or out of a vehicle. Also, to carry in a vehicle outside of statute exceptions, one only needs a license/permit from ANY state, doesn't have to have reciprocity
Regina DiLabbio Klugh King
2:49 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Am I the only one old enough to remember the line "Is that a rocket in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" I imagine this guy was happy to see the excellent crew at Paoli Hospital's ER/Trauma Center. But you can't fix STUPID!
JDBroomall
12:11 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Eric: There is no firearm registration in PA. In fact, its illegal for police to keep a registry of firearms. Ya know what would be a great patch story? Finding out how a "registry" is being maintained when by law, all records of sales need to be destroyed within 72 hours by police.
To the guy that shot himself, there are no accidental discharges only negligent ones. Get yourself a HOLSTER, and some training. You're making responsible, law abiding gun owners look bad brother.
Greg
12:57 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
.38? Unless you are wearing two holsters, why the heck would you attempt such a manuver while driving. Regardless of whether it's a revolver or semi-auto pistol, you shouldn't be putting a finger (or anything else) near the trigger unless you're preparing to fire. Good handgun technique actually has your finger along the trigger guard (not the trigger itself) to prevent this very act (and also serves to determine if something is within the trigger guard area that might cause an accidental discharge of the weapon). It's scary to see how poorly people treat firearm safety.
Regina DiLabbio Klugh King
1:12 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Greg: Two thumbs up for your analysis. And one finger circling the area in the air in proximity of one's temple indicating the mentality of the self-shooter! There's a clock missing its coo-coo somewhere, and perhaps this guy could fill in for a while!