More bad news from Zimbabwe

[Mike70560]

Received news from Martin this morning about another bad incident in Zim.

PH Anthony Harland was shot in the elbow by a client. I understand his arm has been amputated above the elbow. He is in critical but stable condition.

Anthony was hunting in Dande for Gavin Rorke.

Another sad accident.

I am sure a fund will be setup for medical expenses soon.

This is the fourth bad accident in Zimbabwe this year. If you are going this year please be careful.

 

[TOM]

Boy I hate to hear that. What a tragedy.

 

[James.Grage]

prayers go out to Anthony Harland and his family.

This will be a long recovery...family will be in shock and financial worries will abound.

I do hope that the hunter will step up to help take care of the medical expenses.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Very sad and scary news.

I can not imagine this is not career ending for him.

I wish him well and a speedy recovery.

Everyone going hunting anywhere, please BE SAFE!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Received news from Martin this morning about another bad incident in Zim.

PH Anthony Harland was shot in the elbow by a client. I understand his arm has been amputated above the elbow. He is in critical but stable condition.

Anthony was hunting in Dande for Gavin Rorke.

Another sad accident.

I am sure a fund will be setup for medical expenses soon.

This is the fourth bad accident in Zimbabwe this year. If you are going this year please be careful.

Thanks for the report Mike. I will withhold comment until further details are known, but please understand my hesitation to see this as an "accident." I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but I can't help but wonder what gun safety protocol was being followed.

I guess I'm skeptical because my 9 year old exhibits far better gun safety skills than many of the adults at the local gun range.

 

[huntingbigun]

Prayer for him & his family, sad day for the hunting community

 

[Mike70560]

Phil,

I almost changed the word accident in my post. Not knowing the details it could be anything from shooting a lion off the PH to an accidental (hate that term) discharge.

Two weeks ago a client placed the barrels of a 500 Nitro on his foot and experienced an AD. Bet he is a little more careful in the future.

 

[RogerHeintzman]

Sad, Sad, Sad for sure. Any incident with a firearm usually has a bad outcome. I guess if you are in Zim hunting it is probably for DG with the BIG GUNS, BIG BULLETS, BIG DAMAGE!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

"A Dream can be relived, again and again in Africa".

 

[Rich219]

Phil,

I almost changed the word accident in my post. Not knowing the details it could be anything from shooting a lion off the PH to an accidental (hate that term) discharge.

Two weeks ago a client placed the barrels of a 500 Nitro on his foot and experienced an AD. Bet he is a little more careful in the future.

Let's go with the term negligent discharge. There is a big difference between the two.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Phil,

I almost changed the word accident in my post. Not knowing the details it could be anything from shooting a lion off the PH to an accidental (hate that term) discharge.

Two weeks ago a client placed the barrels of a 500 Nitro on his foot and experienced an AD. Bet he is a little more careful in the future.

Agreed.

I sincerely wish a speedy recovery for Mr. Harland. Hopefully there's a prosthesis out there that will allow him to carry and shoot a rifle again.

 

[Second Wind]

Couple of things I want to address here, to everyone gathered

We as hunters go into the field wholly unprepared to dealt with trauma like this

Now, back in the day I saw more than my share of gun shot wounds and not a one of them was pretty.

But the next time you go to the field, stop and think for a moment how you would handle something as traumatic as this.

In the past I have always carried a PTK and fortunately never had to use it, but it was there

Key is, something like this happens you need to get a couple of things going in a hurry

1. establish an airway

2. stop the bleeding

3. spike an IV,,,, it will most assuredly be needed later and after shock gets going it may be a little tough to get done

4. it its a chest wound, you are going to have to seal that off right then

If you get all that done you have probably bought the victim and hour, maybe 2

Now my PTK is laughingly outdated but the youngest daughter has been working with some trauma surgeons to develop a PTK
that will get all that done, doesn't rattle and fits in the pocket of your cargo shorts or pants

anyone that is interested in the contents of this new one I will be happy to share if they will PM me and I will forward the schedule as soon as they are finished

Just like Capt Kohl said "better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it"

 

[Second Wind]

FLASH

Just talked to the nurse and she was most concerned about chest wounds

Pneumothorax and then went into some detail about a chest tube and all that entailed

and finished with "well, if its a 40 caliber or better at close range about the only way to wrap that one up would be a couple of shovels, a cold six pack and a heartfelt note to his next of kin

Don't blame me I just convey the information as it comes to me from the professionals

 

[saeng101]

Certainly no way to know from the info, but third world medicine is not good for a patient. The comment on 40 and larger at close range is probably not right. I have treated a lot of wounds including a bunch of French 40mm. Generally the human body is soft, the expansion of a bullet does not occur much at close distances, and no tumbling. In the cases I deal with most are survivable unless major bleeding before getting care. Knife wounds are another story, those are the ones we just have a hard time with.

My best wishes for his rapid recovery. A 48 hour survival is always a good sign.

 

[Second Wind]

Saeng

I have some experience with 37 mm triple a and I agree by the time they get there it is working in your favor unless the round detonates against a piece of kit

I think Kati was real concerned about hydrostatic shock from a really high performance projectile at close range. It is going to be through and through with almost no expansion but what she described as the "plunging effect" sounded pretty devastating

you must admit though that 40 mike mike torso hits are a bit tough to handle in the field, detonation or not

 

[saeng101]

I may have been lucky with mine, body shots we did pretty well on. Hip to knee was a whole another story. I worked an IED last weekend and can say bullets are forgiving after that. Start a 72 hr shift on Sat. at a public hospital, sure it will be a mess, hate weekends.

Saeng

I have some experience with 37 mm triple a and I agree by the time they get there it is working in your favor unless the round detonates against a piece of kit

I think Kati was real concerned about hydrostatic shock from a really high performance projectile at close range. It is going to be through and through with almost no expansion but what she described as the "plunging effect" sounded pretty devastating

you must admit though that 40 mike mike torso hits are a bit tough to handle in the field, detonation or not

 

[Second Wind]

as to those knife wounds

along the Texas -Mexican birder they are not uncommon

my issue with them is staring at a 1" to 1 1/2 incision that may ooze a little you have no idea how deep how much f]damage or even what the h**** you are dealing with

guy can be standing upright, perfectly cognizant and talking to you while he is bleeding to death internally

nothing to give it away until he crashes

 

[Second Wind]

Jeez Saeng, where are you working, Ben Taub in Houston or Robert B Green in San Antonio?

 

[Ole Bally]

wow we're taking a hammering this year! To give you guys a little more background on Zim PH's qualifications. Every one who holds a full Licence that enables him to hunt DG has an Advanced First Aid qualification from our Medical Air Rescue Services. The Learner PH's have a basic first aid quali from the same company. Unfortunately, whilst most of us carry drips and drugs, they are not taught to administer this on their courses as it's illegal for the training company to teach anything invasive. A lot of the older PH's were ex military and got taught to do drips etc during our war.
Not that anything like that would have helped in this instance, unless he had the kit and could walk the client though the process. On safari, I have had to put drips in to dehydrated clients, sew up some holes from falling down rocks etc.

I just don't know that the clients gonna fork up here!
Another PH I know had the same client on safari twice ( yes yes I know I wouldn't have hunted him the second time either! But he needed the income...need I say more!). The client - a french man, was / is in the habit of chambering a round, holding the trigger down and closing the bolt instead of using the safety. He had an ad on the first hunt. On the second hunt, despite being repeatedly warned about gun safety, didn't clear the rifle before bagging it and stowing it in the gun rack behind he cruiser cab ( and yes the ph failed to check it). At the next stop when he needed the rifle, the tracker pulled it from the bag to hand it to him. The gun went off, the round hit the roll bar and broke in two. One piece split the scalp of the PH...if he'd been an inch taller it would have been 'dead' center and the other half hit the other tracker in the chest.
They were both casevaced but the client never even tipped them never mind step up for the med bills!
I suppose the point here is that the PH's should have better medical aid coverage, but things here haven't been so good on the income side of it - medical aid is very expensive too - and a lot of guys have the idea that it'll never happen to them.
Very sadly, I can bet we'll see an appeal for funds for Anthony's ops as we've seen the ones for Owen.
This is a very exciting but very poorly paid profession all things considered.
Figure that most PH's - not outfitters - don't hunt for more than 120 days a year. The daily rate they get paid is about 200US$ a day gross. They are then still taxed, pay for trackers and Vehicles - (new Cruiser 60 000US), homes kids education etc etc. That leaves for slim pickings. It's a labour of love! PH work's not for sissies!

 

[get015]

Ole Bally, very true as a guide you are put in harms way on a daily basis, not only because of the game or species we persue but due to the fact that you are followed by a individual with a deadly weapon in his/her hands on a continuall basis, granted we should be vigilant as far as checking rifles are considered but trophy hunters/clients should carry responsibility for every move made in the field.

We are dealing with successfull individuals that run companies, corporations and even countries, our control can only extend to a certain point, clients need to except resonsibility for every move they make. As you correctly state it is a labour of love guides are by no means the fat cats in large hunting corporations and in 99% of all cases are the individuals that follow through on Outfitters promises, in many cases outfitters are nothing more than booking agents.

My heart and prayers go out to firstly Owen, and also Anthony and their families as well as the multiple incidents that occur on a yearly, monthly weekly basis.

AD's are a far to common occurance in our industry, if there is anything that I have learnt in my 13 years of guiding it is quite simple, I do not care who you are or how much you have or how many years you have been handling a rifle, I will check and re check whether a client dislikes it or not, and I will guarantee that it will still happen.

It is truly sad that a life changing experience that should turn for the better truns out for the worst, I wish all the best and the safest at all times.

My ultimate best always.

 

[antond]

Terrible news.
however Anthony still has a lot to be thankful for, he might not have his arm and he most definately has a rough and rocky road ahead, but he has his life, a fact that he should thank the lord for. if the clients bullet had flown 12 inches to the left or to the right, we would more than likely be mourning his loss...

as Jaco says its a dangerous business if its not the dangerous game we have to worry about, its the fact that we are carrying dangerous weapons over the most tricky and uneven terrain immaginable..
not knowing the facts of the incident, i still feel terribly sorry for the client as well, what a terrible thing to have to live with, it could just as well end his hunting career as well as Anthony's.

its horrible and hopefully we all learn from this unfortunate accident.