A 22-year-old Webster man accidentally shot himself yesterday as he dismantled his gun while driving down Loudon Road, the police said. In the process, Robert Drown also hit a minivan and toppled the sign at the 7-Eleven, according to a witness.

Drown was trying to place his gun in a safety mode when it went off, the police said. He was rushed to Concord Hospital with a serious gunshot wound to his thigh. He was listed in fair condition yesterday evening. The police said Drown was fortunate that he injured himself near a fire station and with an off-duty paramedic nearby.

The accident happened just before noon as Drown was headed west on Loudon Road, according to Maj. Robert Barry. When his gun went off, Drown veered off Loudon Road and over the lawn of the nearby 7-Eleven. Drown stopped only when he hit the store's sign, according to a witness. The impact toppled the sign onto Drown's vehicle.

"He never touched the brakes," said Jeremy Murphy, who witnessed the incident from the D'Angelo Sandwich Shop across the street, where he had just finished lunch with two friends.

While veering off Loudon Road, Drown also glanced a mini-van, Murphy said. Murphy and his friends initially thought the bang they heard was Drown hitting the minivan, but they realized later it was Drown's gun firing.

After hitting the sign, Drown got out of his SUV and ran for the fire station next door. Murphy and his friends noticed Drown's jeans were saturated with blood. About 20 feet from the station, Murphy saw the man collapse. "He had lost a lot of blood," Murphy said.

Justin Putzel of Sullivan, an off-duty paramedic, saw Drown and stopped to help, Barry said. Staff from the Loudon Road fire station also responded. They were able to treat Drown quickly and get him to the hospital quickly.

Murphy stayed behind to give the police an account of what he saw. The victim "told them he was dismantling his gun while driving and didn't know it was loaded," Murphy said. Barry said Drown told them that he was trying to secure the gun in a safe mode because he was going to leave it in his vehicle while he went to lunch.

There was no one else in Drown's vehicle. No one else was injured, including the occupant of the minivan that Drown hit, the police said. Drown's family could not be reached yesterday.

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By ANNMARIE TIMMINS

Monitor staff