An outing to view a meteor shower turned tragic when a man accidently shot and injured his stepson late Monday night.

And if it wasn’t for two quick thinking deputies, the situation could have had a different outcome.

Just before 11 p.m. Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of an accidental shooting in the area of Texas 90 and Texas 326 in Nome. They found the adult male at Snappy’s Exxon Statin on Texas 90 in China, Texas with the wounded boy who was bleeding heavily from his right forearm, according to information from JSCO.

One of the deputies placed a trauma bandage from his wound kit on the wound to try to stop the bleeding. A call was placed for EMS but was told the nearest ambulance was in Rose City.

That’s when they asked if they could transport the boy because they felt any delay in treatment could seriously jeopardize the victim’s health and safety if they waited for the ambulance.

The deputies were given permission and brought the child to St. Elizabeth Hospital emergency room in Beaumont where the boy was stabilized and transferred to Texas Children Medical Center in Houston for further treatment.

Deputy Marcus McLellan, public information officer, said the man and his stepson had gone to a remote area to try to view a meteor shower. While returning to their vehicle the stepfather said he heard something running up behind him and thought it was a wild animal. He pulled a pistol that he had on his person and fired. He immediately realized he had shot the child.

“We would like to acknowledge the actions of the Deputy W. Crain and Deputy C. Lowe for their quick assessment and action,” McLellan said. “The injury is serious in nature and could have very easily been life threatening had these two deputies not acted when they did.

The case is currently under investigation and Child Protective Services has been notified.