Steve Ross, son of Boyd and Charlene Ross, holds a “birdshot” shotgun pellet like the one that struck his mother’s neck. The 12-gauge shotgun accidentally went off in a closet when Ross’ father was preparing to use it to scare away Canada geese from a pond at the family’s home, in York Township. (DAVID KNOX / GAZETTE)
Local news
Steve Ross says what happened to his 75-year-old mother could have been a tragedy. Instead, it may be a blessing. After Charlene Ross was taken to the hospital Sunday from being struck in the neck with a “birdshot” pellet from a shotgun fired accidentally by her 77-year-old husband, Boyd, doctors found she had a previously undiscovered heart problem — an arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. “There is no question that this has been a blessing on two fronts,” said Charlene’s son, Steve Ross. “One is that only one pellet nicked her out of the shotgun blast and the second is she was able to be checked out and found that there are underlying problems that we can now address.”