Metro 2033 cracked gas mask pain in the arse question

[Viva Las Vegas]

So my gas mask is smashed to shit and the game won't let me remove it. I'm in chapter 4 and it's making it a real pain in the ass blocking a lot of my view. What can I do? No one in these areas has a gas mask I can take. Also I am out of filters and I read (not sure if it is true) that I can't grab another gas mask if you don't have any filters. Please tell me Im not stuck until some future point in the game where someone has a gas mask I can take. Any help?

 

[skinkrawl]

As far as I remember, you can take gas masks off people you kill, even if there's is different from the one you currently have.

 

[bjstucker]

you encountered a game ending glitch.

 

[Viva Las Vegas]

[quote name='bjstucker']you encountered a game ending glitch.[/QUOTE]

Seriously? Can I just load an earlier save or do I need to start from the top?