'A blue flash ...

Press, 9 May 1981, Page 9

'A blue flash ...

NZPA-Reuter Miami A blue flash was all Carlos Vidal saw. A burning sensation was all he felt. Vidal was shot between the eyes on Wednesday night during an armed robbery and lived to tell about it, according to the Dade County (Miami) police.

“It’s a miracle,” Detective Richard Hayward said.

“He was shot with a small calibre maybe a .22 or a .25, right between the eyes and above the bridge of the nose.”

Mr Vidal, aged 23, an insurance collector, was on the job making collections in

Liberty City with his girlfriend, Maria Fernandez. They stopped their car at a traffic light at 9.25 p.m. “While they were stopped, at least three men came up to the girl’s side, reached in and tried to grab her purse,” Mr Hayward said. “As the girl struggled with the men, Vidal got out of the car and rushed around to the passenger side of the car to fight them off. “One of the men then fired one shot at Vidal. The bullet struck him and deflected around his right eye and exited on the far right corner of that eye.”

The men ran away with the purse. “Vidal said it all happened too fast to really comprehend,” Mr Hayward said. His face covered with blood, Mr Vidal got back into his car and managed to drive himself to hospital, about 3km from the scene. Mr Vidal was listed as in fair condition. “The doctor said he was all right and there was no brain damage. It was more like a flesh wound,” Mr Hayward said. It was not known if Mr Vidal would lose the sight in his right eye.