Teen Blinded When Frog Shot From Potato Gun

Houston Chronicle ^ | 4/16/2003 | AP

[Ag88]

Teen blinded when frog shot from potato gun Associated Press

DALLAS - A teenager was blinded after being struck in the face with a frog shot from a so-called "potato gun."

Daniel Benjamin Berry, 17, received the injury after he looked down the barrel of the gun's PVC pipe barrel and was hit in the face by the frog.

"He is going to be blind in both eyes," Daniel's mother, Lisa Berry, said.

Potato guns are made of pipe with one end sealed. A potato is wedged into the open end and a flammable liquid put into a sealed chamber is ignited, launching the object.

Denton County Sheriff's Department spokesman Kevin Patton said the accident occurred about 1 a.m. Sunday when Daniel Berry joined a crowed of teenagers watching the gun be fired.

When it misfired, Daniel Berry looked down the barrel to see what was wrong when the gun went off, Patton said.

"He said it just went off. It was a misfire. It hit him square in the face," Lisa Berry said, adding that her son had broken bones in his face that would require surgery.

Patton said no charges would be filed.

"This is the first incident involving a potato gun that we have had to deal with," he said. "What are you going to do? This was an accident."

Lisa Berry said the accident ruined her son's career dreams.

"All he ever wanted to do was be an Air Force pilot," she said. "That isn't going to happen now."

[Ag88]

Poor Kid.

[Gunslingr3]

words fail me

[BrooklynGOP]

One of the guys at work has one. He fired it off a few times in the parking lot (using hair spray as a propellant). Somebody called the cops :P

[Blue Screen of Death]

"Don't mess with green people."

-Kermit

[anobjectivist]

Too bad his parents never taught him to look down the barrel of a projectile tube!

Somewhere PETA is cheering for frog rights.

[hotpotato]

I know this isn't funny.... but it is.

[SouthernFreebird]

I dunno.kinda hard to feel sorry for someone who looks down the barrel of a gun just fired to see the blockage. I'd hate to think what damage he could have done with an aircraft.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

A Darwin Alert is required for this thread.

[Ford Fairlane]

Daniel Berry looked down the barrel to see what was wrong

Does this call for a hold my beer alert?

I have a potato gun, it is a lot of fun

I will soon be moving up to a pumpkin / watermelon gun

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Dawin award assures no airforce career.

[xsmommy]

there is a reason your mother told you that you could put your eye out....

[Billthedrill]

That has my nomination for "headlines you never expected to read."

[Screaming_Gerbil]

Experience is a harsh teacher. Sometimes you don't get a second chance. I feel sorry for the kid.

I can only hope the doctors turn out to be wrong and he gets his vision back through some miracle.

[tet68]

Too bad his parents never taught him to look down the barrel of a projectile tube!


All too true, and the chance of him learning that at school
is not very good either.

Feel for the kid, was he charged with animal cruelty?

[HIDEK6]

How's the frog?

[EggsAckley]

"Here, hold my .......toad." ???

[tet68]

Frog looses eyesight after collision with human.

[umbagi]

It was a misfire.

Technically speaking, it was a "hangfire"...

[Junior]

I feel sorry for the frog.

[Spangler]

Talk about an amphibious assault....