Matt Branch, former LSU FB player, seriously injured in hunting accident

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My buddy Matt Branch had walked down to where David Lamonte and myself were hunting and David Joe Branch had driven the ranger down to where we were so we could load up the decoys and gear to go set up in another area. At approximately 9:40 AM, David Joe, David, Matt and I were all standing around the bed of the 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. The dog jumped up into the bed of the ranger, getting ready to head out and stepped on the gun that had been placed into the bed, pushing the safety to fire, as well as hitting the trigger, resulting in the gun going off. The 12 gauge shotgun which contained 1 shell that was left in the chamber, fired through the side of the bed on the ranger hitting Matt in the upper inside of his left thigh approximately 2-3” from his groin. Matt screamed and fell to the ground.

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Dang, so his dog shot him through the truck door?

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Basically they were unconcerned with the near fatally wounded man and more concerned with what trying to find a reason to write somebody a ticket. Really bad deal all the way around.

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That really sucks but you gotta unload your gun.

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Our son, Matthew Branch, was involved in a near-fatal hunting accident on Friday 12/28/18 in Mississippi. A group of family members and friends were on a duck hunt. They had wrapped up a successful hunt and had gathered to decide what to do next. Shotguns were loaded and one of the duck dogs jumped in the Ranger which unexpectantly caused a gun to misfire which hit Matt in his femoral artery at close range. A split second freak hunting accident. Everyone got still in confusion until Matt yelled out and dropped to the ground. His buddies and cousin immediately responded beyond their normal abilities. 9-1-1 was called and Matt was driven out of the duck blind to the nearest point on the highway to meet up with an EMT response team. No one realized the amount of blood that was being lost because it was flowing through his waders into his boots. His friends worked hard to keep him conscious on the way to the highway which wasn't an easy task. Once they got there, two of them were able to lift this 6'6" solidly built, former LSU Offensive Lineman out of the Ranger and onto a hillside to keep his leg elevated. He was then transported to the nearest Medical Facility - Merit Medical Center in Vicksburg. There, he was immediately taken into surgery to save his life by attempting to stop the bleeding. They were able to stabilize him enough to have him flown to University Medical Center in Jackson, MS - the state's only Trauma Center.

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