Former LSU OL Matt Branch Lost Leg in Hunting Accident; Friend Says Dog Shot Him

Former LSU Tigers offensive lineman Matt Branch lost his leg following a Dec. 28 hunting accident and remains hospitalized in the intensive care unit at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Micah Heckford, a friend of Branch, told Brian Broom of the Clarion Ledger on Tuesday that a dog jumped onto the truck bed that Branch was sitting on and accidentally stepped on a shotgun's safety and 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."

He explained members of the group quickly transported Branch to a road where they could meet with firefighters, who began treatment on the wound.

"I think that's when it hit me how serious it was," Heckford told Broom. "It was at that point in time I realized how much he had bled. His pants were just soaked in blood."

Along with the left leg amputation, Heckford said Branch has undergone several surgeries requiring the stay in the ICU, but he's otherwise expected to make a full recovery.

Branch played for the Tigers from 2009 through 2011 after a redshirt year in 2008.