Man Playing With Gun Kills Georgia Teen in Tragic Accident in Florida

PAULDING COUNTY, GA- Patch.com writes that a man from Douglasville was arrested this week following a tragic incident involving a firearm. According to reports, the man accidentally shot the gun and struck a teenage girl from Paulding County.* 

The victim was identified as a nineteen-year-old girl who had recently graduated from North Paulding High School. Reports indicate that the shooter, identified as a 24-year-old man, was "playing a game" with his handgun, in which he points the gun and pulls the trigger. He told police he does not know why the gun fired, and stated he often plays such a game. The tragic incident occurred at a Panama City Beach condo in the middle of the night. The police were called to the scene where they found the young victim with a bullet wound to her neck. The woman later died at the hospital. The charges against the man include negligent manslaughter. 

At the time of her death, the victim was a student at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. A friend of the girl's family created a GoFundMe page for the parents and younger brother of the teen.

In Georgia, families of people killed by another person's negligence have the right to file a wrongful death claim against the person who caused the fatality. The family will typically file the claim on behalf of the estate of the deceased person. The claim can include damages for the pain and suffering that the victim experienced prior to the time of death. These claims are often filed after car crashes but can apply in other cases of a person's negligence as well.  Families who lose their loved ones in an accident that another person caused should contact an attorney to determine whether they should file a claim. Statutes of limitations will apply, so it is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or a family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://patch.com/georgia/dallas-hiram/paulding-teen-killed-douglasville-man-playing-gun-police