It was around 11:40 a.m. when the emergency services were alerted, explains The Mountain. This Sunday morning, a few kilometers from the center of Clermont-Ferrand, emergency services found themselves faced with
a hunting accident involving a forty-year-old. Nothing suggested that a simple morning spent with friends could turn into such a dramatic scene.
According to the first elements of the investigation, the accident occurred while the man was chatting in a group, outside of a hunting trip. His son, aged only 4, allegedly handled the rifle of his father’s friend. While playing with the weapon, the child would have pulled the triggerunleashing a shot that hit his father in the ankle. The victim, seriously injured in the foot, was immediately treated by the emergency services and was transported to the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital. The little boy, in a state of shock, was taken to a child psychiatry unit to undergo check-up examinations.
Many unanswered questions
This accident should not fail to relaunch the debate on hunting and safety which encompasses this controversial activity, to say the least. According to an Ipsos survey, published in 2022, 48% of French people declared themselves opposed to hunting. Furthermore, this accident raises questions regarding the presence of a young child on a hunting trip. Indeed, how is it possible that a 4 year old child participated in such an activity? Indeed, although no law prohibits taking a child on a hunting trip, the question nevertheless arises. Furthermore, how is it that the young boy had access to a visibly loaded firearm without supervision?
An investigation for endangering the lives of others
was opened by the prosecution. Investigators will therefore have to
determine everyone’s responsibilities in this accident.
Hunting accidents in France: what are they really like?
According to the latest data from the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), published in 2023, the level of fatal accidents during the 2022-2023 season reached a historically low levelwith only six hunter deaths. Over the last 20 years, fatal hunting accidents have fallen by around 77%.
Hunters represent the majority of victims, with
88% of accidents involving them. Among fatal accidents, self-accidents, due to weapon handling errors, constitute a significant proportion. Furthermore, there has been an increase in accidents involving shots fired at homes or vehicles, often linked to non-compliance with basic safety rules.
