Paintball accident claims teen's eye

HERRIMAN — A 13-year-old boy playing paintball with his friends accidentally shot himself in the eye Tuesday, possibly leaving him with permanent blindness.

Now, his parents want others to be aware of what happened to help prevent similar accidents.

Chris Robins was playing paintball shortly before 6 p.m. around his house near 5700 West and 14200 South. The sport had become one or Chris' favorite hobbies over the past year, said his father Mark Robins.

Chris was wearing all the protective equipment, including protective eyewear, when he stopped to reload the hopper on top of his gun.

"He thought he placed it on safety. He opened the hopper so the gun was inverted and the barrel was pointed at his face," Mark Robins said.

Chris had lifted his goggles to reload the gun with paintballs. The gun was about a foot away when it discharged and the projectile struck him directly in the eye.

"It basically imploded the eyeball," his father said.

Surgeons had to sew Chris' eye back together and then repair the eyeball. His eye lens was never found, Mark Robins said.

Best case scenario, Chris might be able to distinguish between light and dark in his eye but the "prognosis of sight is limited," his father said.

Chris was released from the hospital Wednesday. His father said he had a lot of family and friends around to support him and mentally seemed to be doing OK.

Mark Robins said the "freak accident" should serve as a reminder that paintball guns aren't toys.

"These guns are a dangerous weapon, particularly at close range," he said.

Robins isn't saying young boys shouldn't have paint guns, but they all need to remember the safety rules.

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office Range Master Nick Roberts said paintballs typically travel 120 to 200 feet per second and compared it to getting hit with a marble.

"Everyone thinks these paintballs can't hurt somebody. Well, they can," he said.

Roberts also stressed education and training when using a paintball gun, including protective eyewear. He said the same firearms basics that gun owners use also apply to those with paintball guns.

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