[at-l] Second Hiker Wounded in Hunting Accident

[mcdermot@xxxxxxxxxxx (McDermott)]

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I found the following article on the ATC website
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/trailnews/index.html

I didn't know another hiker was shot.  Did anyone else hear about this?
Panzer


January 2003

Second Hiker Wounded in Hunting Accident
On New Year's Day, a hiker was shot and seriously wounded on the
Appalachian Trail
in the Jefferson National Forest near Bastian, Va., his family reports.
The victim,
George Ziegenfuss, a 1989 thru-hiker and retired Lutheran minister, was
on his
almost-daily hike about a mile north of Laurel Creek (Va. 615) when he
was hit by a
.45-caliber bullet in the back. Two hunters at the scene assisted him
while a third
went for help. Rev. Ziegenfuss, 71, was taken by helicopter to a
Bristol, Tenn.,
hospital, where he was treated and admitted to intensive care. His wife,
the
Rev. Murray Ziegenfuss, said a full recovery was expected but he was
worried about
the effect on his hiking.

ATC does not yet have details about the circumstances of the shooting
from the
Bland County sheriff's office or know whether charges have been filed.
Subject to
state laws, hunting is allowed on national-forest lands through which
the Trail
passes, but reckless discharge of a firearm is still a crime. ATC
advises hikers
to wear blaze orange whenever hiking during hunting seasons and hunters
to become
aware of the footpath's location and remember your basic training: Be
sure before
you shoot.
January 3, 2002
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