Tenn. Child, 2, Shot in Head With Arrow, Survives

FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. --

A child's birthday party turned into an emergency when a 6-year-old boy accidentally shot his 2-year-old sister with a bow and arrow set that was a gift from his parents.

The child, Sara Shelton, was taken to the hospital with an arrow stuck in her brain.

Sara Shelton was one of several children at her brother Will's party on Saturday to celebrate his sixth birthday.

Parents Wesley and Susan had recently bought Will a bow and arrow set as a gift. The Fayetteville couple say they watched Will play with the set, turned away for only a few seconds when they heard a scream.

They then discovered that Will had accidentally shot his sister in the head. The arrow was lodged near Sara's left temple, just above her ear, inside her brain.

Sara was taken by Lifeflight helicopter to Vanderbilt Medical Center. Her parents say doctors were torn between two choices. They could either remove the arrow during surgery or gently pull it out during a C T Scan. The arrow tip was lodged close to the child's brain stem.

The decision was made to gently pull the arrow out while looking at the C T Scan. Sara is now fine and was busy running around in a park with other children on Thursday.

The Sheltons said they want other parents to know that even gifts that are marketed to children can become dangerous without constant adult supervision.

"Never turn your back on a kid. It took a second. He's only 6. He doesn't realize the danger," said Wesley Shelton.

Vanderbilt doctors said they don't expect the child to have any long-lasting brain problems following the incident.

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