The Miracle Files

Ep. 49: Shot By a Dog: The Miraculous Story of Former LSU Football Player, Matt Branch
Podcast Date: November 3, 2025
Hosts: Holly Worthington & Emily Jones
Featured Guest: Matt Branch

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Holly and Emily bring listeners the almost unbelievable story of Matt Branch, a former LSU football player and avid outdoorsman who survived being accidentally shot by a dog while on a family duck hunt. Rather than telling a tale of tragedy, The Miracle Files uncovers the supernatural chain of events, unexplainable coincidences, and powerful moments of faith that not only saved Matt's life but transformed it—body, mind, and soul. This episode embodies the podcast’s theme: there are more miracles than murders, and God’s light shines even in the darkest moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Day Begins in Mud and Mishap

[01:36–04:26]

• Matt sets out for a duck hunt at Eagle Lake, Mississippi, on the family farm, “just a normal day.”
• Solo, he attempts to cross a muddy culvert, resulting in his four wheeler flipping into a frigid five-foot canal.
• Drenched and exhausted, Matt fights hypothermia as he retrieves his gear and treks back across the farm.
  • “It's cold enough to where you could begin to get hypothermia if you're out there too long.” —Matt Branch [04:14]

2. The Unthinkable Accident

[04:53–06:12]

• After regrouping, Matt loads his shotgun into the bed of a Polaris Ranger as his friends and cousin collect ducks.
• Their black labrador, following orders to hop into the Ranger, accidentally steps on the gun’s trigger.
  • “Its paws landed directly on the trigger of Matt’s shotgun. One second there was quiet, the next a muffled bang that no one saw coming.” —Emily Jones [05:44]
• Matt believes the shot missed him at first, only to collapse as blood pours from a massive wound.

3. Desperate Fight for Life

[08:22–09:53]

• Realizing the gravity of his injury—shot in the femoral artery—Matt’s friends frantically call 911.
• Weather conditions make helicopter evacuation impossible.
• They drive Matt to the nearest highway, trying to keep him awake and stem the bleeding.
  • “All I could think about was what they'd say in the movies, like, you know, put pressure on it and stay awake.” —Matt Branch [08:46]
• Matt has a profound near-death experience, facing the truth of his life and mortality.
  • “I’m not gonna survive this... In that moment, all I can say is like, I encountered the truth of my life. And I was not proud of what I saw that day.” —Matt Branch [09:14]

4. Miracles in the ER

[11:19–13:36]

• On arrival, Matt codes—flatlines with full cardiac arrest for 45 minutes.
• A young nurse, home from college, unaware of "the odds," performs CPR far beyond protocol, refusing to give up. Miraculously, Matt revives.
• Local doctors, overwhelmed, try to stop bleeding by cutting off circulation to the leg, but blood loss is catastrophic.
• A persistent anesthesiologist, Dr. Welsh, personally intervenes, leveraging his son’s ICU connections to secure a trauma bed at UMMC.
  • “This young man has a family. He's going to die if you don't get him in there. Make room for him.” —As reported by Matt Branch [13:36]
• Even the helicopter crew is initially unwilling to fly due to the weather, but relent. In a moment of divine timing, clouds part just enough for safe flight.

5. The Chain of "Coincidences"

[16:42–17:17]

• Every necessary surgeon is present at UMMC the day after Christmas, an extremely rare occurrence.
• Matt requires over 300 units of blood. He survives against impossible odds, astonishing his doctors.
• Matt learns that hypothermia from his earlier fall into the canal had constricted his blood vessels—effectively slowing the hemorrhage and saving his life.
  • “They said, if I wouldn't have fallen in the water and been, like, soaked and on the verge of hypothermia...I would have fully bled out and just never made it to the hospital.” —Matt Branch [16:59]

6. The Aftermath: Recovery & Spiritual Reckoning

[18:28–19:31]

• Matt's left leg is amputated at the hip. Doctors doubt he’ll ever walk again.
• Against all expectations, Matt walks on his prosthetic the very first try.
  • “He looked at me and he was like, dude, how are you able to do this?...Never seen anybody walk on day one. Never.” —Matt Branch [18:28]
• Despite survival, Matt falls into depression, realizing life will never be the same.
  • “No matter how strong I am, I'll never be strong enough to get my life back to where it used to be.” —Matt Branch [19:01]

7. A Second Miracle: Purpose from Pain

[19:50–21:51]

• While listening to a podcast, Matt feels God nudging him: “Look again.”
• He is compelled to write his entire story, pouring out years of trauma and transformation in just four days.
  • “It was like divine inspiration just, like, poured out of me. And I typed up a book in four days. Just like, boom, there it was, just out, gone.” —Matt Branch [20:27]
• The book, later published as Nobody’s Gonna Die Today, becomes a ministry. Matt travels to share his testimony, touching countless lives.
  • “I was able to get it out in words and then watch God use it to bring other people to him...I should have been dead on that side of the road that day. And I'm not. Because of him and because of all he's done, God chose to use me and my story and what I've been through to reach other people and bring other people to him.” —Matt Branch [21:51]

8. Hosts Reflect: Faith, Survival, and Miracles

[23:19–25:03]

• Holly and Emily draw parallels to their own near-death experiences, highlighting how crisis and faith can strip life to its essence and show God’s hand in every detail.
• Emily marvels at the numerous points in the timeline where disaster was narrowly averted—“it did the same thing for him [as medically induced hypothermia] without medical help.”
• The accident’s improbable elements—the four wheeler flip, friends’ impromptu medical actions, medical staff’s persistence—are seen as a web of small miracles culminating in survival and transformation.

9. The Fate of the Dog

[26:49–27:19]

• Matt graciously forgives the black lab retriever responsible for triggering the gun.
  • “No, I let the—let the dog slide. You know.” —Matt Branch [26:59]
• Holly laughs, “I’m glad he forgave the dog. There’s a lesson for all.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Facing Death:
  • “Like whenever you reach the point of death, like, you know you're about to die. Like, I was there.” —Matt Branch [00:18]
• On Transformation:
  • “It was that moment, that near death experience, that led me to that point of seeing the truth of Jesus and seeing how far I was from it and ultimately understanding that I need him to save me. Like, I can't save myself. None of us can.” —Matt Branch [10:11]
• On Divine Orchestration:
  • “I should have been dead on that the side of the road that day. And I'm not. Because of him and because of all he's done, God chose to use me and my story and what I've been through to reach other people and bring other people to him. I don't know any other way to put it other than just miraculous.” —Matt Branch [21:51]
• Hosts’ Perspective:
  • “But I love it when we have these examples of times when bad things get turned for our good. And that crash into the water literally saved his life.” —Holly Worthington [24:42]
• On Forgiving the Dog:
  • “No, I let the dog slide. You know.” —Matt Branch [26:59]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 01:36 — Hunting trip begins; four wheeler flips into canal
• 05:44 — The accidental shooting (“the dog stepped on the trigger”)
• 08:46 — Struggling to survive; waiting for help
• 09:14 — Near-death experience and spiritual reckoning
• 11:19–12:39 — Hospital arrival; flatlining; nurse performs heroic CPR
• 13:36 — Dr. Welsh secures trauma team transfer despite obstacles
• 16:59 — Revealed: Hypothermia slowed Matt’s blood loss, saving life
• 18:28 — Matt walks on prosthetic—first try, stunning doctors
• 19:50 — Spiritual breakthrough: writing his book
• 21:51 — The ministry forms: pain becomes purpose
• 26:59 — Matt on the dog: “I let the dog slide. You know.”

Conclusion

Matt Branch’s story is a breathtaking account of survival, but more so, it is a testament to the miraculous—of body, circumstance, and soul. The intersection of unlikely events, extraordinary human decisions, and unexplainable “luck” underscores the show's ethos: even where there is unimaginable tragedy, the hand of God can—and does—bring about life and hope. Matt’s message resounds: the very things we think will break us are often what God uses to shape our testimony, restoring and redeeming what we could never do alone.

For inspiring stories of faith and hope, subscribe to The Miracle Files or visit www.themiraclefiles.com.