Vegas victim released from hospital days after being shot in head

LAS VEGAS — One Vegas shooting victim was released from the hospital Wednesday, just days after he was shot in the head.

To say he’s lucky feels wrong considering what happened, but if the bullet had entered his skull even a millimeter in another direction, he would not have survived.

Braden Matejka was at the Route 91 Harvest Festival with his girlfriend, Amanda, when the gunfire erupted. They tried to take cover in a tented area, but the bullets were raining down all around them.
One man was shot and killed before his eyes.

MORE: Tewksbury mother: Las Vegas shooting ripped apart 'the perfect little family'

Between rounds of gunfire they tried to escape, but Braden was hit in the head. The bullet miraculously didn’t go through his skull, but entered near his neck and exited without hitting his brain. There are skull fragments and bullet fragments lodged inside his head, and he has a massive concussion.

“Someone was looking out for me, that's all I know,” Matejka told Boston 25 News. “I don't know how or why, but I was lucky, I was very, very lucky.”

Although Matejka was discharged, he has massive brain swelling and cannot fly, so he is driving 20 hours back to British Columbia.

He is alive, thankfully, but bearing the scars of what happened.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

IMAGES: Vegas victim released from hospital days after being shot in head

LATEST | How to help | Photos | Eyewitness videos
What is Route 91 Harvest Festival? A look at scene before bloodshed

President Trump reaction | Who is Stephen Paddock?
Brother of suspected Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock: 'We're dumbstruck'

Worst mass shootings in US history | Definitions of 'mass shooting' can vary
What to do if you are in an 'active shooter' situation

Cox Media Group