A young dad is to learning to walk again after accidentally shooting himself through the foot – with a 12 bore shotgun.
Landscape gardener Jamie Cameron, 29, was carrying the large weapon on a hunting trip when he slipped on wet grass.
The gun fired two shots – one which went straight through his right foot and blew off his big toe.
Jamie’s friends dialled 999 and incredibly the emergency call was eventually put through to his DAD – a local police officer.
He was airlifted to hospital and survived the shooting but will have to learn to walk again after having his toe amputated and shrapnel removed from his legs.
Jamie still has the boots he was wearing during the accident – one of which has a clean hole where the shot went through.
The freak accident happened as Jamie and his brother Stuart, 21, prepared to shoot crows at a friend’s farm in Muddiford, Devon, on April 6.
Jamie, of Barnstaple, Devon, said: “I saw a few birds coming so I loaded the gun but slipped and fell to the floor.
“Two shots went off and I looked down at my boot and saw that it was torn right down through the inside.
“I thought I was lucky it missed me. It was only when I stood up and went down to pick up the gun, which had landed in a bush, that my foot felt funny.
“I saw there was a gaping hole in the top of the boot with a lot of smoke and blood coming out. I ran up to get help off Stuart but I fell to the floor because of the pain.”
His shooting companions dialled 999 and the call was patched through to Barnstaple police station – where Jamie’s dad Eddie is the station enquiry officer.
Brother Stuart wrapped a coat around Jamie’s leg to stem the blood while another friend raised the alarm.
Dad Eddie saw details of the 999 emergency on his police computer and waited anxiously for news of his son’s wounds.
He said: “I knew straight away it was one of my boys. I saw the incident flash up on the screen.
“They’re experienced and very safety conscious. It was just an accident, he just slipped at the wrong time.”
Jamie is now back at home with wife Louise, 27, and their two-year-old daughter Molly May, but faces months of treatment and physio to help him walk.
He added: “At first all I kept thinking was that I’d blown my foot off and that I would never be able to walk again.
“I’ve had two operations on my foot and have had my big toe amputated.I just can’t believe how lucky I am. I am fortunate that I am still here with my family.”
