A California woman, who was wounded during a shooting rampage inside a dental office last summer, was saved by her size-D breast implants, according to her doctor.
Lydia Carranza was shot in the chest when a gunman opened fire at the Family Dental Care Clinic in Simi Valley on July 1, 2009, KTLA.com reported. Dr. Ashkan Ghavami, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, said he believes her implant stopped the bullet from hitting her heart.
"I saw the CT scan," he told the Los Angeles Times. "The bullet fragments were millimeters from her heart and her vital organs. Had she not had the implant, she might not be alive today."
Although the spokeswoman for the hospital that treated Carranza said it’s not clear whether the breast implant had any impact on saving her life, a firearms instructor said it is possible.
"Common sense would dictate that any time you have something that interrupts the velocity of the projectile, it would benefit the object it was trying to strike," Scott Reitz, a deadly-force expert witness with 30 years' experience in the LAPD told the Times.
"I don't want to say a boob job is the equivalent of a bulletproof vest," he added. "So don't go getting breast enhancements as a means to deflect a possible incoming bullet."
As a result of the shooting, Carranza’s implant was completely destroyed. Ghavami now plans to perform reconstructive surgery at a reduced cost, according to the report.
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