For LSU player involved in freak hunting accident back in December. Democratic & Chronicle reports that on Dec. 28, Matt Branch was severely injured while out on a hunting trip with friends and family in Mississippi. The Democratic & Chronicle report a series of events that occurred leading up to the incident:
“At approximately 9:40 a.m., David Joe, David, Matt and I were all standing around the bed of the (Polaris) Ranger and Matt had laid his gun down flat in the bed of the Ranger and walked around on the passenger side to finish loading up,” [Micah] Heckford said. “I was at the tailgate no more than 4 feet away from him.” Seeing that the hunters were loading the vehicle, another hunting companion, a Labrador retriever named Tito, jumped in the bed of the Ranger. As he walked around finding a place to sit, he stepped on the safety of Branch’s shotgun and pulled the trigger. “The gun shot,” Heckford said. “Everybody looked up. The first thing I saw was Matt and within two to three seconds he realized he was hit.” Branch began screaming and fell to the ground. The gun had shot through the bed of the vehicle and struck his left thigh.
After being struck in the leg, it resulted in several surgeries and ultimately, they had to amputate Branch's left leg. It is reported that everything else is okay and is expected to survive. These horrific series of events led to someone starting a GoFundMe page to help cover all the hospital expenses, and it has reached over $72,000.