What injuries did President Reagan and his staff sustain, and how did his medical care unfold?
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Executive summary
President Ronald Reagan was wounded by a .22-caliber bullet that ricocheted into his left chest, causing a collapsed lung and heavy blood loss; surgeons removed the flattened bullet and he spent about 11–14 days in George Washington University Hospital before returning to the White House [1] [2] [3]. Three others were hit: Press Secretary James Brady suffered devastating head injuries and lifelong disability, Secret Service agent Tim (Timothy) McCarthy was shot in the chest shielding the president, and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty was shot in the neck/back — all received emergency treatment that day [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. The shot, the wounds and who was hit
John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots outside the Washington Hilton; bullets struck James Brady (head), Thomas Delahanty (back/neck), Timothy McCarthy (chest), and one ricocheted into President Reagan’s left chest beneath his arm [4] [5] [7]. The bullet that struck Brady “exploded” and left him with devastating head injuries; the bullets to Reagan, Delahanty and McCarthy did not explode, but all three required urgent hospital care [4] [6].
2. Immediate scene: who acted and how patients were moved
Secret Service agents and police subdued Hinckley and tended to the wounded at the scene; Agent Jerry Parr diverted the presidential motorcade to George Washington University Hospital after Reagan began coughing blood and complaining about breathing [8] [3]. Multiple accounts — White House photos and Secret Service reports — show Brady and Delahanty lying wounded on the ground when chaos ensued [6] [7].
3. Reagan’s injuries and emergency assessment
Reagan entered GW’s emergency department after collapsing; clinicians found a chest wound with severe internal bleeding and a collapsed lung. His blood pressure was “very low” and pulse barely detectable; doctors placed a chest tube that released a large amount of blood and required aggressive fluid/blood infusions to stabilize him [3] [9] [10]. Radiographs later documented the injury and guided care [11].
4. Surgery, the bullet and why he survived
Surgeons worked for several hours to locate and remove the projectile, which was flattened to about the size and shape of a dime; the operation concluded in the evening and clinicians attributed Reagan’s survival to rapid trauma-team care at GW and modern surgical protocols [2] [12] [1]. Reports estimate he lost about 40% of his blood volume and required transfusions and infusions to stabilize blood pressure [2] [10].
5. Hospital course, recovery and discharge
Reagan was moved to intensive care and, after initial recovery from surgery, remained hospitalized roughly one to two weeks — sources say about a week to 12 days — before returning to the White House and resuming duties [3] [13] [2]. Treating physicians later described his recovery as “uneventful” after the critical early period [3].
6. The other victims: injuries and long-term effects
James Brady’s head wound produced devastating, permanent disability; he survived but remained severely impaired and later died in 2014 from causes the historical record attributes to those injuries [5] [4]. Agent McCarthy was shot in the right chest while shielding Reagan and was treated at the same hospital; he later recounted the event and his wound in Secret Service histories [14]. Officer Delahanty was shot in the back/neck and treated at GW as well [7] [6].
7. Medical and institutional lessons emphasized by contemporaneous sources
Medical reports and later analyses emphasize that the presence of a trauma team, immediate chest tube placement, radiographic imaging, coordinated surgery and proximity to a capable hospital were decisive in saving Reagan’s life — and that the .22-caliber round’s small size and the fact it did not fully detonate reduced lethality [12] [11] [1]. Histories note that if a larger rifle or different ammunition had been used, outcomes could have been far worse [12].
8. Competing narratives and what sources do not say
Contemporary medical teams wrote first-hand reports of Reagan’s care and radiologic chronology; government archives and the Secret Service provide operational detail [11] [7]. Available sources do not mention certain speculative claims about alternate surgical timelines or undisclosed complications beyond what the treating physicians and hospital records report — those assertions are not found in current reporting [2] [11].
Limitations: this account synthesizes official hospital reports, medical articles and contemporaneous archival material provided in the search results; it does not draw on sources beyond those listed here and therefore omits any facts not contained in them [11] [6].