How can a single bullet kill you?

Question

I understand how someone would die if they get shot in the head, but if someone receives a bullet in the abdomen, unless it hits the heart, how does one die within seconds? I don’t think it can be hemorrhage so there must be another reason

In: 0

Answer 1

Unlike in the movies, you don’t die within seconds.

While a bullet is rather small and light, it has a lot of kinetic (movement) energy due to its speed. When it hits you, and while going through you, it creates massive shock waves, similar to a really big stone hitting water. This can disrupt, or even shred, organs not directly in the path of the bullet, like the lungs or the heart.

A hit in the intestines could be survivable, same with the kidneys (you can survive with only 1 kidney) or the liver (given a fast transplant), but the clock is ticking, *fast*.