LSU Former Lineman Matt Branch’s Leg Amputated After Getting Shot By Dog

Former LSU Tigers offensive lineman Matt Branch lost his leg as a result of a December 28 hunting accident and is still hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. 

Micah Heckford, a close friend of Branch, informed Brian Broom of the Clarion-Ledger on Tuesday that a dog sprang onto the truck bed that Branch was sitting on and unintentionally stepped on a shotgun’s safety and trigger. 

“The gunshot,” Heckford stated. “Everybody looked up. The first thing I saw was Matt and within two to three seconds he realized he was hit.”

He shared that members of the group transported Branch quickly to a road where they could join the firefighters, who started treatment on the injury. 

“I think that’s when it hit me how serious it was,” Heckford shared with Broom. “It was at that point in time I realized how much he had bled. His pants were just soaked in blood.”

In addition to his left leg being amputated, Heckford stated Branch endured numerous surgeries demanding the stay in the ICU, but Branch is expected to make a speedy full recovery. 

Matt Branch played 28 games for the Tigers from 2009 through 2011 as a reserved guard before retiring due to a sequence of injuries.