Florida man shot in the chest says golden cross necklace blocked bullet, saved his life
A Florida man who survived a gunshot to the chest is crediting his necklace for helping save his life.
Aidan Perry, 20, was wearing a golden cross on a chain that blocked the bullet when he was standing about eight to 10 feet away from the gun.
"I look at it as a lifesaver," Perry said. "I probably wouldn't be talking to you guys right now."
Perry said he was shot after his friend accidentally opened fire while showing off a gun.
A full recovery will take some time, but the 20-year-old is in good spirits.
"Even with a little bit of pain, I'm still here, so it's fine," Perry said. "As long as I'm still here."
Trauma surgeons at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital called the survival divine intervention.
"Because of [the necklace's] metallic component, it actually shielded a lot of the force of the bullet," said Dr. Khafra Garcia Henry, a trauma surgeon at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital. "So the bullet ricocheted off the necklace and entered his chest small. However, it was just in his fat tissues because it slowed down the trajectory of the bullet."
Henry said it could have been a deadly outcome if Perry was not wearing the necklace.
"[The bullet could've] entered his chest wall itself, into the pleural space, which is the airspace around the lung between the bones and injuring his lung itself or his heart," said Henry.
Aaron Perry gave his son the necklace last Christmas, never imagining the kind of miracle it would bring.
"So many emotions," Aaron Perry said. "I don't want to say it was just a gift, but it came from the heart."
"I think God played a big role in this," Aidan Perry said. "I think he's the reason that I'm still here today."
The man accused of shooting Perry was arrested and charged with culpable negligence causing injury.