GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — A woman from the northeast North Dakota town of Thompson who had a rifle shell explode in her face during a hunting trip is suing the company that made the ammunition.
Sheri Sponsler, 46, says a defect in the design or production of the shell caused her injuries.
The ammunition company, Hornady Manufacturing Co., based in Grand Island, Neb., denies any wrongdoing and has asked a judge to dismiss the case.
The two sides are scheduled to meet at a Feb. 25 hearing in Fargo.
Sponsler shot at a doe while she was deer hunting near Edmore on Nov. 11, 2007. The court complaint filed by her attorney says the shell's brass casing holding the powder failed and exploded, blowing out the bottom of the gun's chamber and sending shrapnel into Sponsler's face, eye and hand.
"The force of the explosion threw Sheri's head back, causing severe whiplash injury. Sheri immediately noticed that her ears were ringing immensely," the complaint says.
It says Sponsler continues to suffer health problems, including ringing in her ears, sensitivity to sound, headaches, a sensation of movement inside her head, scars on her hand and face, symptoms of nerve damage, and severe pain in her head and neck.
She is seeking more than $75,000 in compensation for pain and emotional distress, medical expenses, lost wages and legal fees.
Hornady, founded in 1949, sells bullets around the world. Company attorneys say Sponsler's injuries were the result of an accident, the negligence of a party other than the company or misuse of the ammunition.
Sponsler "knew and appreciated the risk inherent in her activities and voluntarily assumed the risk of injury from those activities," the company's response says.
