MO: boy injured in Sunday hunting accident
Butler County boy injured in Sunday hunting accident Wednesday,
November 5, 2008
By Donna Farley Daily American Republic
BUTLER COUNTY, Mo. — An 11-year-old boy was taken by helicopter to a
St. Louis hospital Sunday morning following a hunting accident.
Hunter Ham and his 18-year-old cousin, Kelci Scott, were hunting at
7:30 a.m. on family property on County Road 569 when the accident
occurred.
The Fisk, Mo., fifth-grader had shot a spike buck with a .243-caliber
Ruger rifle, left his deer stand and was crossing a field when he fell.
His gun discharged and the bullet went through his wrist, according to
his aunt, Heather Easterday.
Scott used her hunting vest to wrap the boy's wrist, called family
nearby, loaded Ham onto a four-wheeler and drove him to a family home
close by, Easterday said. An ambulance was called and on arrival
emergency medical personnel decided Ham needed to be airlifted to
Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis.
"The bullet missed the major artery by less than 1 centimeter,"
Easterday said. "The powder, although burning, also cauterized the
vessels, so he didn't lose a lot of blood. Kelci's quick thinking and
actions also prevented a lot of blood loss."
The family was also fortunate that Scott, walking in front of Ham,
wasn't struck by the bullet, according to Easterday.
Ham was released from Cardinal Glennon on Monday morning but will
have to return Thursday for his first reconstructive surgery.
The family does not know how many surgeries he will need.
"Hunter lost the skin, tissue and muscle around the bone of his left
wrist," Easterday said. "He will need extensive skin grafting. There are
severe powder burns, so they are giving the tissue a few days before
performing the first surgery."
There are good things, Easterday continued, Hunter has a grip and can
move all his fingers.
"We are very, very lucky," Hunter's mother, Jami Ham, said Monday.
