January 15, 2010
CLEAR SPRING – A McConnellsburg, Pa., man suffered five pellet wounds to the hand this week after accidentally shooting himself while hunting rabbits in the Clear Spring area, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said.
Brock James Bivens was hunting in the Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area on Blair’s Valley Road in Clear Spring on Monday when the accident occurred, according to a DNR press release.
Bivens rested his loaded .410-caliber shotgun on top of a dog kennel in the bed of his truck and shut the tailgate, causing the gun to fall, the release said.
When it fell, the resulting shotgun blast struck him in the left hand, the release said.
Bivens drove himself to McConnellsburg Medical center for treatment and was taken to Hershey Medical Center to have five pellets removed from his hand, according to the DNR.
The Maryland Natural Resource Police issued a statement advising the public to practice gun safety, treating all weapons as if they were loaded.