23 Years Ago Today I Was Shot In The Head

March 6, 1989 is a day I will never forget. It was on this day 23 years ago, that I was accidentally shot in the head by a friend of mine while we were target shooting in Wyoming county. My friend basically did something you should not do; he shot at a rock in front of us at close range. The bullet from his AK-47 hit the rock and then ricocheted into my head, hitting me just above the left ear. When the bullet hit, it felt like someone took a hammer and clocked me in the side of my head. When I put my hand up to my head, all I could feel was warm blood gushing out of my head. My friend's mother called the Bennington Fire Company and within minutes I was in the ambulance en route to Batavia Hospital. EMT Sherrie Hoy was able to finally stop the bleeding and get me stabilized. Without her, I could have easily bled out and died. The doctors in the ER at the hospital were then able to pick out the bullet fragments from the side of my head. I spent the next couple of days in the hospital. I had a pretty nasty headache for a few days. I could not drive for a few weeks and I was also off the air for a few weeks as well.

Surviving this shooting renewed my faith in God. I know that I have someone upstairs watching out for me. The incident also made me a gun safety fanatic. And I have taught my children to be the same way. With firearms, there are no second chances. I still enjoy target shooting and take every precaution to practice safe shooting.