“When he set the backpack on the rock, the gun discharged firing a round. The round struck the man in his leg. The round did not exit the man’s body. There were numerous visitors in the Emerald Lake area when this incident occurred.”
70-year-old male, from Missouri injured himself at Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday when a firearm in his backpack accidentally discharged at Emerald Lake, located less than two miles from one of the park’s most popular trailheads. The man shot himself in the leg when he removed his backpack and put it down on a rock. Bystanders provided first aid until an S&R crew took over. He was airlifted to the Medical Center of the Rockies. Authorities are still investigating the incident and did not say whether the man was legally carrying the weapon.
