Explodes In Finleyville Woman's Face

ROSTRAVER (KDKA) ― Melissa Malone, 22, of Finleyville, required more than 50 stitches in her upper lip this week, after the gun she was shooting at a private shooting range in Rostraver exploded in her face.

The Washington County woman is now warning people who might have the gun - a Talon T-200 9 MM pistol - to get rid of it, because she says the gun isn't safe.

Malone tells KDKA-TV that she and several friends were at the firing range Wednesday afternoon.

At first, she said the gun worked fine, then the slide on the gun cracked in half, and parts went flying. She thought she lost her whole cheek, before the ambulance came and got her.

Malone says she still has a throbbing, stabbing pain in her mouth, like somebody took a knife, and went through her lip, and just cut it.

Doctors hope to take the stitches out of her lip next week, then, she expects to have to undergo plastic surgery.

We were unsuccessful tonight in trying to reach Talon, Inc., the company that manufactured the weapon.