• 30
  • July
    2010

Andrew Stola, a 14 year old boy who was shot in a hunting related accident in Huntington Township on November 21, 2009, will receive $300,000 in a civil settlement with the man who shot him. The teenager was in the woods with his father, David Stola, setting hunting traps when a shot was fired by a hunter. The bullet struck Andrew in the abdomen. The shooter left the scene and failed to render assistance. David Stola was able to get help for his son, and Andrew was airlifted to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville where he underwent surgery for the bullet wound. Charges were later filed against Gary Savidge, 45, of Shickshinny in connection with the shooting and his failure to render assistance to the victim. Savidge told authorities that he fired his .308 caliber rifle at what he thought was a turkey about 200 feet from him.

Richard A. Russo, a partner in Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald's Personal Injury Practice Group, brought the civil claim against Savidge and reached the settlement with Savidge's homeowner's insurance company, Nationwide Property and Casualty Insurance.  The $300,000 payment was the full amount of insurance coverage that existed. The settlement was approved by Luzerne County Judge Lewis Wetzel on May 14, 2010.

Russo explained that victims injured in hunting accidents can recover compensation for their injuries by pursuing the responsible party and his or her homeowner's insurance company. The recovery in this case sends a clear safety message that will protect hunters across Pennsylvania from the careless actions of others in the future. "A hunting license imposes an absolute responsibility on a person to hunt carefully. A hunter must avoid endangering the safety of others, and must never shoot at a target unless he is absolutely sure what the target is.  Thankfully, most hunters are very responsible people who practice safety in the woods, and this case makes clear that those who fail to do so will be held accountable, both criminally and civilly. Accountability promotes safety in  everything we do; it always has, and it always will" Russo said.