LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A silicone breast implant saved the life of a California woman who was shot in the chest by a gunman, a doctor says.

The gunman aimed his weapon directly at Lydia Carranza's heart but one of her implants stopped the bullet and prevented any fragments from reaching her vital organs, the Los Angeles Times reports.


"She's just one lucky woman," said Dr. Ashkan Ghavami. "The bullet fragments were millimeters from her heart and her vital organs. Had she not had the implant, she might not be alive today.

Carranza was working in a Beverly Hills dental office last July when the estranged husband of a co-worker ran in and opened fire, killing his wife and then firing at Carranza.

"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," said Scott Reitz, a deadly-force expert who was not involved in the case.