A former Louisiana State University football player had his leg amputated after he was shot by a dog in a duck-hunting accident in Mississippi.
Matt Branch was at Eagle Lake with a group of friends on Dec. 28 for an annual deer-and-duck-hunting trip when the incident occurred, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
The group was making preparations for the day when Branch laid his loaded gun in the bed of a Polaris Ranger at approximately 9:40 a.m. before moving to the passenger side to finish stocking the vehicle.
The hunting group’s four-legged member, a Labrador retriever named Tito, jumped in the bed of the Ranger. In an attempt to get comfortably seated, Tito allegedly stepped on the safety of Branch’s shotgun and in doing so pulled the trigger.
The gun shot through the bed of the vehicle and struck Branch in his left thigh. “The first thing I saw was Matt and within two to three seconds he realized he was hit,” said Micah Heckford, a Baton Rouge resident who was part of the hunting group and was standing “no more than 4 feet away” from Branch when the gun went off.
Branch fell to the ground, screaming, Heckford said. Someone from the group dialed 911. “As quick as possible, we picked up Matt and loaded him into the Ranger.”
Branch was driven to a road accessible to first responders. Heckford said he applied pressure to the wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding. When firefighters arrived and cut through Branch’s clothing, “It was at that point in time I realized how much he had bled. His pants were just soaked in blood,” Heckford said.
Branch was first taken to a medical facility in Vicksburg and later was transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. His leg was amputated and, after undergoing several surgeries, he remains in intensive care. His family members have said his cognitive abilities appear to be fine and he is expected to recover, according to Heckford. A GoFundme account in Branch’s name has been set up to help with medical expenses.
Tito reportedly survived the accident as well.
Heckford says the accident has prompted him to think harder about gun safety. ”The opportunities for an accident are there and we just don’t realize it,” he told the Clarion-Ledger. “We think we’re being safe, but are we? If there’s a shell in that gun, anything can happen.”
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, the Washington Examiner erroneously reported Branch was transported to the University of Maryland Medical Center. He was transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
