17-year-old has half her face blown off while posing for selfie with hunting rifle, miraculously survives
A teenage girl suffered from horrific injuries after her best friend accidentally shot her in the face in Ukraine. 17-year-old Polina Gordik had to be hospitalized in a critical condition with half her face injured by the bullet.
The incident took place in the Komyshuvakha village in southern Ukraine in the Zaporizhia Oblast region, reported DailyMail. Polina was at a party at her best friend's house on Wednesday when the unfortunate accident occurred.
At the party, her friend Veronika had carried her father's hunting rifle and had decided to pose for a picture with Polina. They then placed the rifle with the barrel pointing up between them and were going to take a selfie when the gun fired.
The bullet hit Polina near her nose and crushed the bones in her face. She was rushed to the ICU and had to undergo a seven-hour surgery. The head of the Intensive Care Department of Zaporizhia Children's Hospital, Valery Tsaryov told local media, "The victim was admitted to the facility in a grave condition. She underwent a seven-hour surgery and we managed to stabilize her. The girl's condition is still grave, but a non-life-threatening one at the moment."
As a result of the accident, the police have launched a criminal case against Veronika and her parents. A spokeswoman for the police, Anna Maksimenko, shared that, "A criminal case for accidental causing of grievous bodily harm has been initiated. The police are checking whether the rifle was registered and stored properly."
If found guilty, Veronika and her parents could face jail time for up to five years. A friend of Polina's, Alina Ivanova, shared that Veronika and Polina are best friends and that two always got along well.
The doctors will have to reconstruct Polina's nose from scratch. She has a long road to recovery before her and will likely need multiple plastic surgeries.
Polina's mother, Antonia Gordik, shared that she was absolutely terrified when she first saw her daughter. She revealed that half of her face was missing. "She virtually did not have a nose. She is conscious, but cannot speak. She is only able to communicate by nodding or shaking her head. When I asked if it was an accident, Polina nodded her head," Gordik revealed.