The mountain biker was not wearing a rabbit costume. Photo: Facebook/Ernest Damian Diez/Olive Press
According to reports out of Spain, a mountain biker was shot when he was mistaken for a rabbit. The accident occurred in Alicante, a place that apparently must have enormous rabbits.
Pinkbike.com explained that Miguel Toran, the man with a back full of birdshot in the image above, had just passed two hunters on the Monte Orgergia forest trail a moment before he was shot. A few minutes later, a third hunter mistook him for a rabbit and pulled the trigger.
Toran, who was wearing a bright outfit and a helmet — unusual attire for a rabbit — was riding in an area popular with bike riders and hikers. The shot hit him in the butt, back, and legs. Since it was buckshot, however, he escaped any major internal injuries. Paramedics removed 20 pellets lodged in his skin.
The hunter, who didn’t deny the accident, explained to police that he had “confused the movement of the cyclist with that of a rabbit.”
Although Toran does believe that he was shot by accident, he’s still considering filing a complaint against the hunter. Pinkbike reported that the hunter did have a license, but could still be charged.
