Tiffany
05-06-2004, 09:55 PM
Man Survives 6 Nails Driven in His Head
A house construction worker in Los Angeles had six 3 1/2-inch nails accidentally driven into his face, neck, and skull by a high-powered nail gun on April 19, but doctors said on Wednesday they expect him to make a full recovery, reports The Associated Press. Three of the six nails actually penetrated into Isidro Mejia's brain, while another entered his spine below the base of his skull. Miraculously, the nails just missed the brain stem and spinal cord, which prevented paralysis or death.
Making his first public appearance on Wednesday from his wheelchair, Mejia, 39, told reporters in his native Spanish that he doesn't remember the accident except for a sudden "shock" to the back of his neck. "He says that he's very happy to be alive. He told me this morning that he thought he was going to die," said Dr. Rafael Quinonez, the neurosurgeon who removed the nails at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. "He was happy when he opened his eyes, and he saw that he's still with us." Quinonez called Mejia's recovery "close to a miracle."
The accident occurred when Mejia was standing atop an unfinished home and fell off the roof onto a co-worker who was using the nail gun. In an attempt to keep from falling, they grabbed each other. But they both plunged to the ground, and at some point the nail gun fired, driving the nails into Mejia's head. The co-worker was cleared of any wrongdoing. Meija is now walking with minimal assistance and speaking slowly since the speech center in his brain was affected. Still, after rehabilitation therapy Quinonez says he should fully recover.
A house construction worker in Los Angeles had six 3 1/2-inch nails accidentally driven into his face, neck, and skull by a high-powered nail gun on April 19, but doctors said on Wednesday they expect him to make a full recovery, reports The Associated Press. Three of the six nails actually penetrated into Isidro Mejia's brain, while another entered his spine below the base of his skull. Miraculously, the nails just missed the brain stem and spinal cord, which prevented paralysis or death.
Making his first public appearance on Wednesday from his wheelchair, Mejia, 39, told reporters in his native Spanish that he doesn't remember the accident except for a sudden "shock" to the back of his neck. "He says that he's very happy to be alive. He told me this morning that he thought he was going to die," said Dr. Rafael Quinonez, the neurosurgeon who removed the nails at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. "He was happy when he opened his eyes, and he saw that he's still with us." Quinonez called Mejia's recovery "close to a miracle."
The accident occurred when Mejia was standing atop an unfinished home and fell off the roof onto a co-worker who was using the nail gun. In an attempt to keep from falling, they grabbed each other. But they both plunged to the ground, and at some point the nail gun fired, driving the nails into Mejia's head. The co-worker was cleared of any wrongdoing. Meija is now walking with minimal assistance and speaking slowly since the speech center in his brain was affected. Still, after rehabilitation therapy Quinonez says he should fully recover.