Lake County deputies hailed for saving life of man who accidentally shot himself

A pair of Lake County sheriff's deputies are being credited with saving the life of a Mundelein-area man who accidentally shot himself in the leg Saturday.

Sheriff's police said Deputy Ryan Nirva and Deputy Ryan Eagar were dispatched at 2:45 p.m. Saturday to a home in the 28400 block of North Fremont Center Road in Fremont Township, for a report of a person who was shot.

They arrived to find a 32-year-old man bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to the leg and losing consciousness, according to the sheriff's office.

Nirva and Eagar began immediate lifesaving measures and applied a tourniquet to the man's leg, successfully stopping the bleeding, authorities said. The man later was taken by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he rushed to emergency surgery and remains in serious, but stable condition.

Sheriff's police said a preliminary investigation shows that the man was cleaning his loaded firearm when he accidentally shot himself in the leg. The discharged round struck the man's femur bone and likely ruptured his femoral artery, officials said.

"Deputies Eagar and Nirva immediately jumped into gear and undoubtedly saved this man's life by applying a tourniquet to stop his bleeding," Sheriff John D. Idleburg said in a news release Sunday. "Not too many professions exist where 'another day on the job' involves saving a person's life, but my staff understand this is always their number one priority."