Wounded Manitoban hid under wheelbarrow to survive Las Vegas massacre

Jan Lambourneremembers thinking the Las Vegasnight air was beautiful and the music was perfect.

Seconds later, she was pulling herself, bleeding, through the grass as gunfire hailed down.

Lambourne, from Teulon, Man. a small town about 60 kilometres north of Winnipegwas among thousands at Route 91 Harvest, anoutdoor country music festival in Las Vegas, when a gunman, identified by police as Stephen Paddock, opened fire on the crowd of about 22,000 at 10:08 p.m. local time Sunday.

"All of a sudden I hear this 'pop, pop, pop,' and I looked at my friend and I said, 'I don't know if that's fireworks.' Next thing I knew, I took a shot.Ifelt it,"Lambournesaid from her bedat Valley Hospital Medical Centre in Las Vegas.

I tried to pull myself through the grass because I started realizing, I'm in the middle of a field and I'm wide open.- JanLambourne

"Then my hip gave out, I guess because of the pelvic fracture, and I fell to the ground. I looked down and I could see I was bleeding."

The bullet entered the left side of her abdomen, ripped through her intestines and smashed into her pelvic bone.

From his 32nd-floor window of the Mandalay Bay hotel, Paddock had a clear view across the Las Vegas strip to the outdoor festival site.

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At least 59 people were killed in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. More than 525 otherswere injured. Police said Paddock, 64, eventuallytook his own life, but not before pausing a couple of times to reload his weapons and fire again.

"Everybody was just, oh those poor people,everybody was just running. You don't ever expect to see something so chaotic,"Lambourne said.

In the panic, she was separated from her friend,JodyAnsell, another Manitoban who flew to Vegas with her for the concert.

"I tried to pull myself through the grass because I started realizing, I'm in the middle of a field and I'm wide open," Lambourne said.

Calling it anadrenaline rush, she somehow stood up on her broken pelvisand said she ran "the best I could."

Lambourne took shelter in a merchandise tent and found a metal fridge to hide against. She also located a wheelbarrow and flipped it over to use as a shield, resting in the hollow.

She took the next momenttotexther husband: "I love you. I've been shot. I love [you] so much."

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Then Lambourneremembered she had been gripping a bag with souvenirRoute 91 shirts, so she pulled them out and pressed themagainst her wound to slow the bleeding.

She waited, listening to the sounds of gunfire and screaming,before she was found by a man named Justin, whom she referred to as "a military guy."

Seeing her condition, Justinran to get help, returning with three more peoplewho all helped carryLambourneto an ambulance.

He then hopped in andtravelled with her to the hospital, staying at herbedside andusing her phone to contact as many family members as he could to let them know what happened.

"He was amazing. The lasttime I seen him was when they took me in for surgery," Lambournesaid, then whispered through sobs, "He saved my life."

During her interview with CBC,Lambournerepeated praise of Justin she didn't get his last name and her anguish for the other victims.

I know now that I came in very critical and that they put me back together.- Jan Lambourne

Lambournesaid there have been many doctors and nurses coming by her room, keeping a close watch on her.

"They've been a big blessing. I'm very grateful," she said."I know now that I came in very critical and that they put me back together."

She's been given no indication of when she might be able to be transferred back to Manitoba. All she knows is there is "a long recovery" ahead of her.

"I'm just going day by day. When they say I'm ready, I'll be ready."

In the meantime, Lambourne's husband and son are flying to Nevada to be with her.

Ansell set to fly home

Her friend Ansell, from Stonewall, Man., is also recovering after being shot in the arm.

After running from the concert venue, she tried to flagdown a vehicle for help but nonewould stopuntil she stood in the middle of the road.

Scans taken at the hospital show the bullet passed right through herright arm, just below the elbow, and X-rays don't show breaks toany bones, she said.

On Monday, she posted an update on her conditionon her Facebook page.

"Iwas discharged from hospital and managed to switch hotels. Looking at flying out of here tomorrow!" she wrote.

She also wrote that she"had the honor of meeting up with the 2 girls" who pulled over and put her in their car, and who she says looked after her until she was taken to hospital.

"Wanna thank everyone for their love and prayers during this horrible time," she wrote.

"Gonna try and get to visit Jan tomorrow b4 I fly out. Will catch up with messages when I can. Just overwhelmed right now."

Cache of weapons

Police have said 23 guns were found in Paddock's hotel suite, whilea search of his car turned up asupply of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer compound that can beformed into explosives and was used in the 1995 Oklahoma Citybombing of a federal office building that killed 168 people.

Another 19 firearms, some explosives andthousands of rounds of ammunitionwere later found at Paddock's home in Mesquite,about 145 kilometres northeast of Las Vegas.