Construction worker still recovering from nail gun head injury

A 45-year-old construction worker is happy to be safe and healthy after a three-inch nail was accidently shot into his skull. The man, who suffered this severe head injury in the workplace, was convinced he was going to die after the incident, but doctors discovered that the nail had missed all major blood vessels in the man’s brain, lodging itself between the left and right hemispheres. While the man was quite lucky, many construction workers in Denver and across Colorado are aware that using dangerous nail guns during construction does not always end with so happily.

The man was working on a construction site when he requested that a coworker pass him a 16-gauge nail gun. When he grabbed the tool, the man heard it discharge and felt a sharp sensation at the back of his head. His colleague started yelling that the man had been shot in the head, but the man was confused because he didn’t feel any pain.

Although nail guns are extremely useful in construction activities, Colorado construction workers know that they can also be lethal. If an employer does not create a safe workspace, it is conceivable that employees could injure themselves or others, requiring time off of work and expensive medical care. Fortunately, anyone injured in a construction-site accident should be able to apply for workers’ compensation to cover their lost wages.

A neurosurgical team took more than an hour to remove the nail. Physicians had initially feared that leaving the nail in would result in infection, while removing the nail could cause the man to bleed to death. The man appears to be recovering well from the accident and his subsequent operation, although he does have a problem moving the lower part of his left leg. He is currently undergoing physical therapy to improve his ability to walk. Doctors acknowledge that the man is lucky to be alive after the traumatic accident. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Source: The Daily Mail, “‘Somebody was looking out for me’: Construction worker shoots 3-INCH nail into his head by accident…and survives,” Paul Thompson, Feb. 8, 2012

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