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A MAN who had his throat cut during a brawl in Bright, narrowly missing major arteries, says he is lucky to be alive.
John Walker, 27, who moved to Bright from Texas two years ago, was walking home in the early hours of Saturday morning when a brawl broke out before him.
He said he tried to walk around the fight, but found himself on the ground trying to kick and punch his way out.
After being pulled out of the fight by a friend, he found his throat had been cut from below his left ear to below his right ear.
“I probably shouldn’t be standing right now,” Mr Walker said.
“The day after the incident I felt emotionally scarred.
“But I’m feeling a bit stronger now after making my police statement.”
Surgeons told Mr Walker it appeared a piece of glass had been used in the incident.
Up to a dozen people were involved in the fight, which broke out in a dimly lit area off Barnard Street.
The brawl involved a group of locals and tourists who had been attending the area for the Bright Rod Run and has sparked calls for the event to be alcohol-free next year.
While he can’t say for certain if it was a deliberate attack, Mr Walker said it appeared he had been targeted.
“It could have been that the other person felt threatened and was waving it, I’m not sure,” he said.
“They knew where my throat was.
“It came within less than a millimetre of my main arteries and my windpipe.
“All I can remember is that the nurses and the doctors said I was really lucky.”
An 18-year-old woman was also taken to hospital with a cut to her wrist.
Both were released on Saturday, but Mr Walker has been told he can’t work for two weeks and has barely left his house.
Leading Sen-Constable Mick Guiney said almost all involved had some injuries.
Police are trying to work out what occurred.
“Both persons don’t know how the injuries occurred and who inflicted them,” he said.
“No one has been identified as a suspect by the victims or witnesses.
“Alcohol is definitely a factor in it; a lot of people consumed alcohol to varying degrees.”
Leading Sen-Constable Guiney said police had spoken to several people and no one had seen any weapons.
It occurred shortly after midnight on Saturday morning and anyone with information is encouraged to call Bright police on (03) 5755 1444 or Crime Stoppers.