Nail Gun Accident

[Don Abele]

If you guys remember, a while back I posted x-rays I have collected from patients who have suffered nail gun accidents. Well, I was reading the news tonight and came across this...in one word...OUCH :eek: ...here's a summary and the x-ray:

"A construction worker had six nails driven into his head in an accident with a high-powered nail gun, but doctors said Wednesday they expect him to make a full recovery.

He was atop an unfinished home when he fell from the roof onto a co-worker who was using the nail gun. The two men tried to grab each to keep from falling, but both tumbled to the ground. At some point, the nail gun discharged and drove the 6, 3½-inch nails into his face, neck and skull.

Three nails penetrated his brain, and one entered his spine below the base of his skull. Doctors said the nails barely missed his brain stem and spinal cord, preventing paralysis or death.

“We did not have too much hope that he would survive, but we did it and he survived,” the Doctor said, calling the recovery “close to a miracle.”

He is walking with minimal assistance and speaks somewhat slowly because his brain’s speech center was affected, but his progress has been remarkable. With rehabilitation therapy, he should fully recover."

[Jim Becker]

LOL! I just posted the link to the BBC article in the Off Topic Forum...:rolleyes:

[Bill Grumbine]

I don't know if you have any access to things around here Don (Lehigh Valley PA), but a few years ago a local guy accidentally cut his hand off with a miter saw. Because of the pain, he decided to end it all by shooting himself in the head with a nail gun. He survived multiple shots, but the story dropped out of the news and there was no follow up. Perhaps there was nothing vital for the nails to hit.

Bill

[Stan Smith]

I remember your previous post and answered with one of my own on a day that I took some stupid pills. As to the current story, all I can say is Holy Shet!

[Don Abele]

Bill, I was able to find an exerpt or two on some medical journal sites I subscribe to, but they were pretty vague. Found much more when I "googled" it...some were funny, including one that accused the nail gun manufacturer of being at facult as the gun did not bear the warning label: "WARNING: IN THE EVENT OF UNEXPECTED AMPUTATION OR OTHER INJURY, DO NOT USE AS A PAIN RELIEVER." Another had some accusations that this may have not been an accident, but a "hit" for some unknown wrong doing on the carpenters part. Regardless, it's an interesting story. Thanks.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I just saw this on the news...the story will be on in a few minutes. I was waiting to hear the reason....sounds a bit weird to me. Most framers drop the gun first thing cause they know it can be dangerous, guess this guy wasn't that smart.

[Michael Perata]

Something fishy here - I'm guessing this wasn't an accident, regardless of the story line.

Ever try to fire off 6 nails with one hand and nothing to bump the gun against?

[aurelio alarcon]

Something fishy here - I'm guessing this wasn't an accident, regardless of the story line.

Ever try to fire off 6 nails with one hand and nothing to bump the gun against?yeah something is fishy alright. I just heard the news here and they said that the injured worker fell from one of the top stories onto another employees nail gun and got shot six times. yeah right. they did say, however, that the "accident" is under investigation by the police as well as osha. I'll tell you, that is one helluva rapid firing nail gun. maybe a comerical in the works hmmmm.

[Joe Suelter]

Something fishy here - I'm guessing this wasn't an accident, regardless of the story line.

Ever try to fire off 6 nails with one hand and nothing to bump the gun against?
Eaxactly, also, look at the point of entry for each nail...If it fired 6 times repeatedly, wouldn't you think the nails would all be in the same approximate location and angle? Also, do you really think the Dr.'s would have taken an X-ray of his head with the nails still in? Maybe, I guess. These stories get harder and harder to believe each year they come out. In the comments from the Dr., they claim the recovery was "close to a miracle", I'd call it a miracle. If it really happened, I feel for the guy, it's just rather hard to fathom such a freak accident.

[aurelio alarcon]

yeah something is fishy alright. I just heard the news here and they said that the injured worker fell from one of the top stories onto another employees nail gun and got shot six times. yeah right. they did say, however, that the "accident" is under investigation by the police as well as osha. I'll tell you, that is one helluva rapid firing nail gun. maybe a comerical in the works hmmmm.Oh it's true alright. I just saw the guy interviewed on the news. He says, conveniently, that he doesn't remember anything. Well, I guess not!

[Michael Perata]

I believe this actually happened. I just think the story is wrong.

[David Rose]

You mean "wrong" as in the story of the Oklahoma City police officer who was investigating the Fed building bombing? He was so distraught over the investigation that his body was found a few miles away. Seems he committed suicide. Two bullet holes in the back of the head. They didn't "understand" the handcuff marks on his wrists though. Duh.

David


I believe this actually happened. I just think the story is wrong.

[Don Abele]

The x-ray and the incident are real. The story, well...I agree with you guys, it sounds a little odd. Especially consider the fact that 1 of the 6 nails hit him in the left cheek, the others in the back of the head/neck. Amazing what can happen when you are falling? Uh huh. This story sounds a lot like the one that Bill spoke of where the carpenter accidently cut off his hand with a miter saw (that in itself sounds a little odd), but then because he couldn't stand the pain, shot himself in the head over a dozen times.

As for the x-ray, we routinely take films with the objects in place. We need to know where they are at in relationship to anatomical structures.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Of course it isn't the real story....there's no way that could happen during/after a fall without intent. 1 nail...yep....6 no way. I wonder if the real story will come out with time?

[Jason Roehl]

Sure looks fishy to me. I've had accidental "double-taps" with my framing nailer, but the bottom line is that it takes 2 things for a nail gun to fire--the safety has to be depressed, and the trigger has to be pulled. A fall onto someone holding a framing nailer would likely cause him to drop it, not shoot a bunch of nails. I could see one or two of those happening at initial impact, but not six.

[Byron Trantham]

Let's hope that someone on the investigating team knows how a nail gun works. :cool:

[aurelio alarcon]

The x-ray and the incident are real. The story, well...I agree with you guys, it sounds a little odd. Especially consider the fact that 1 of the 6 nails hit him in the left cheek, the others in the back of the head/neck. Amazing what can happen when you are falling? Uh huh. This story sounds a lot like the one that Bill spoke of where the carpenter accidently cut off his hand with a miter saw (that in itself sounds a little odd), but then because he couldn't stand the pain, shot himself in the head over a dozen times.

As for the x-ray, we routinely take films with the objects in place. We need to know where they are at in relationship to anatomical structures.With regards to the story that Bill spoke of ,I hope they didn't expect us to believe he shot himself with the hand that had been cut off!

[Don Abele]

No, the story said he picked it up with his other hand. He shot himself "at least" a dozen times with 1" finish nails. Some of the reports I read also said that it could have been more than 20 times. Not really sure why they wouldn't know the exact number of times.

Anyway, both these stories share the same questionable type story line.

[Fred Voorhees]

What I don't understand is that I posted the article about this same accident last night with another angle of the head x-ray and now I don't see it anywhere. What gives? What am I - a red headed stepchild that my posts don't rate keeping on the board?

[Jim Becker]

What I don't understand is that I posted the article about this same accident last night with another angle of the head x-ray and now I don't see it anywhere. What gives?
It's in the OT Forum, Fred.

[John Miller]

What about some "idiot" wiring back the safety? Then you would only need "one" thing to happen, squeeze the trigger. Although "6" nails???? One or two I could understand. Sounds like horseplay to me!




Sure looks fishy to me. I've had accidental "double-taps" with my framing nailer, but the bottom line is that it takes 2 things for a nail gun to fire--the safety has to be depressed, and the trigger has to be pulled. A fall onto someone holding a framing nailer would likely cause him to drop it, not shoot a bunch of nails. I could see one or two of those happening at initial impact, but not six.