Shooting ranges may fail to enforce safety gear or provide customers with proper equipment, despite its importance. If you shoot without appropriate protection and safety gear, you may suffer devastating and permanent consequences, such as hearing loss, vision loss, burns, and lacerations. Protective equipment may seem unnecessary or uncomfortable to some shooters, but a single moment without proper gear could result in life-altering injuries.
The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary can help you pursue compensation from negligent range operators if you were injured at a Miami shooting range as a result of inadequate protective equipment.
Hearing Damage Resulted From Inadequate Protection Equipment
Human hearing can be permanently damaged by firearms, with gunshots typically exceeding 140 decibels at the shooter's ear. When shooters don't use hearing protection, or if their ear protection is inadequate or poorly fitted, even a single gunshot can lead to immediate and irreversible hearing loss.
Exposure to shooting range noise may lead to temporary hearing loss and tinnitus, which may appear mild at first but can indicate permanent injury to the delicate structures of the inner ear. Indoor ranges present an especially high risk because enclosed spaces reflect and amplify sound, thereby increasing the level of exposure. After range sessions, shooters may experience ringing or muffled hearing, which may worsen with continued exposure, potentially leading to chronic tinnitus, communication difficulties, and lower quality of life.
Severe Eye Injuries Caused by Inadequate Protection at Shooting Ranges
Eye injuries at shooting ranges may occur in seconds and can result in permanent vision loss when proper safety glasses aren't worn or when substandard eye protection fails to meet safety requirements. Flying shell casings, bullet fragments from ricochets, powder residue, and target debris pose constant hazards that require ANSI-rated safety glasses with polycarbonate lenses and side protection. Shooting without proper eye protection poses a serious risk of blindness.
A hot powder residue or ejected casing can cause chemical burns to the eye and surrounding tissues, whereas larger fragments from bullet impacts on targets or backstops may cause devastating penetrating injuries that may require emergency surgery and could lead to permanent vision loss.
Secondary Injuries Resulting From Inadequate Protection
Sudden loud noises can startle shooters, resulting in mishandling or accidental discharges of their firearms without the proper ear protection. Likewise, when debris or hot casings strike unprotected skin or eyes, the natural reaction to flinch or brush away the irritant can result in dangerous firearm handling that puts the shooter at risk as well as others.
Burns from hot shell casings represent another common injury when shooters don't wear appropriate clothing or gloves, particularly during rapid fire exercises or when using semi-automatic weapons that eject casings at high velocity. Even though these burns may seem minor at first, they can become infected and leave permanent scarring, and they can distract you during shooting, leading to more serious accidents. For both primary and secondary injuries to be prevented, range operators must ensure that customers understand these risks and are provided with adequate protective equipment.
How Attorney Sean M. Cleary Protects Victims of Shooting Range Negligence
Providing adequate safety equipment and enforcing its use are the responsibilities of shooting ranges to ensure customer safety. When facilities fail to provide proper protective gear, allow customers to shoot without required safety equipment, or provide substandard protection that doesn't meet industry safety standards, they may be held liable.
As range operators have superior knowledge of the hazards present at their facilities, they are responsible for ensuring customer safety. It may still be possible to sue ranges for gross negligence despite liability waivers.
Our experienced team at The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary understands the complex safety standards governing shooting range operations and has successfully represented clients injured by another person's negligence. We work with medical professionals and safety experts to hold negligent range operators accountable. Contact our Miami office if you or a loved one has been injured at a shooting range to see if you qualify to recover compensation for your pain and suffering.