Case Report: Accidental firearm fatality during trophy hunting in Nepal [version 1; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]

• Published in: F1000 research Vol. 10; p. 893
• Main Authors: Atreya, Alok, Nepal, Samata, Timalsina, Ashal, Bashyal, Geeta, Gyawali, Lokaratna, Acharya, Jenash
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England F1000 Research Ltd 2021
• Subjects: accident; Accidental Injuries - etiology; Adolescent; Allied Health Personnel; eng; Fatal Outcome; Firearms; gunshot; Humans; Hunting; Male; Nepal; Rural Health; wounds; Wounds, Gunshot; Nepal; wounds; firearms; gunshot; accident; Nepal
• ISSN: 2046-1402; 2046-1402
• DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.55659.1

Possession of a firearm without a certified valid license is against Nepalese law. After the civil war, the government issued a stringent rule of not allowing the public to keep firearms without a valid reason, despite having a license. However, there are still people who keep firearms in their homes. The present case reports the accidental death of a teenage boy who used a musket for hunting a wild animal. The present case highlights the fact that despite the stringent law, illegal possession of arms for trophy hunting is still prevalent in rural Nepal. Furthermore, this study aims to highlight the importance of paramedics in early intervention, stabilization and transport of the sick and injured to the hospital in emergency situations. Recruitment of paramedics in the ambulance service might prevent untimely death in many patients while being transported to the hospital which was lacking in the present case.