Or the lung could collapse and again cause pain and shortness of breath. The victim here would cough some blood, be very short of breath, and could die from bleeding into the lungs-basically drowning in their own blood.
Or it could enter the heart and kill quickly. Any bullet may simply embed in the chest wall or strike a rib and never enter the chest.
That is, a small, slow bullet may kill and a large, fast one may not. Jacketed or coated bullets penetrate more while hollow point or soft lead bullets penetrate less but do more wide-spread damage as the bullet deforms on impact.Īll that is nice but the bottom line is that whatever happens, happens. Also the type of bullet makes a difference. 45 caliber bullets, particularly if they are propelled by a magnum load-such as a. 25 caliber weapons-are less likely to kill than are heavier loads and higher velocity bullets such as. Even with a shot or two to the chest.Ī small caliber and slow speed bullet-such as those fired by. It’s highly variable but ask any surgeon or ER doctor and they will tell you that it’s hard to kill someone with a gun. The victim could die in a few minutes or survive for days or could recover completely with proper medical care and surgery. A shot to the heart may kill instantly or not. It all depends on the caliber and speed of the bullet and the exact structures it hits. A gunshot wound (GSW to docs and cops) can be a minor flesh wound or can be immediately deadly or anywhere in between. He'll be rushed to a high-quality hospital immediately and receive the best care throughout recovery.what's his outlook? When will he be allowed to go home, if all goes well? How long before he's healed to normal? When will it be safe for him to walk around, drive, have sex, etc.?Ī: In your story, what happens to your shooting victim depends upon what injuries he received. Supposing it's a fairly small caliber bullet (typical handgun fare, not buckshot or anything) and it hits near the heart without puncturing anything important, how long might his recovery time be? He's a strong, kinda-healthy guy in his thirties, although he drinks a fair amount and used to smoke. Q: I have a few questions regarding a gunshot wound that my poor character will be sustaining later on in my story. But, if he did not develop an infection, he would heal up completely. Since no antibiotics were available at that time, the death rate was very high-40 to 80 percent-for wound infections. He would be fully recovered in 6 to 8 weeks.Īfter surviving the initial GSW, the greatest risk to his life would a secondary wound infection. If all goes well, he should be better and gingerly up and around in a week or two. He would likely be consciousness so could even help get himself into the wagon. He could probably walk or crawl and maybe even fight and run if necessary. The victim would be in pain and may cough and sputter and may even cough up some blood. A gun shot wound (GSW) to the chest can kill in minutes, hours, days, or not at all.
Is any part of this scenario possible?Ī: Everything about your scenario works. Could he survive and if so how long would it take him it recuperate? Also, would it be possible to bring him to consciousness long enough for another man to get him into a buggy.
He loses a lot of blood and is found a couple of hours later unconscious. A man in his early 20s is shot in the back by a rifle. Here are a few interesting questions about chest GSWs:Ĭould a Person Survive a Gunshot to the Chest in the 1880s? If you have a character who suffers such an injury, this podcast is for you. Yet, a chest GSW can be a minor flesh wound, a major traumatic event with significant damage, or deadly. Gunshot wounds (GSWs) come in many flavors and those to the chest can be particularly dicey.