A Michigan teenager who was critically injured in a recent gun fight appears to have been saved by his braces, according to an NBC news story.
Anthony Pittman, 18, was hit in the mouth with a .45-caliber bullet last week. The bullet split into pieces on contact with his braces, according to police.
"We believe what happened is that the bullet was split, in part by the braces, so it fragmented and continued into his mouth, tongue, and teeth," said Captain Wendy Keelty of the Pontiac Police Department in the NBC story. "But because it was fragmented, it didn't penetrate through the back of his neck."
Pittman has several broken teeth and a severely injured tongue. It will be a while before he is able to resume speech, according to his doctors.
