A Los Angeles construction worker who had six nails driven into his head in an accident with a high-powered nail gun is expected to make a full recovery, doctors said.

Isidro Mejia made his first public appearance today since the April 19 accident that left him with nails embedded in his face, neck and skull. He told reporters in Spanish from his wheelchair that he does not remember much about the accident, but is grateful to be alive.

"He told me this morning that he thought he was going to die. He was happy when he opened his eyes, and he saw that he's still with us," said Dr. Rafael Quinonez, a neurosurgeon who removed the nails at Providence Holy Cross Medical Centre.

Mejia, 39, was building a home when he fell from the roof onto a co-worker using the nail gun on the second floor, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Mark Newlands said.

The two men tried to grab each other to keep from falling, but both tumbled to the ground. At some point, the nail gun discharged and drove the nails into Mejia's head.

"They're extremely powerful," Newlands said. "They've got to drive through three-quarter-inch (two centimetre) plywood."

Three nails penetrated Mejia's brain, and one entered his spine below the base of his skull. Doctors said the nails barely missed his brain stem and spinal cord, which saved him from paralysis or death.


An X-ray shows how the nails embedded in Isidro Mejia 's head. Photo: AP

"We did not have too much hope that he would survive, but we did it and he survived," Quinonez said.

Five nails were removed the same day and the sixth, in Mejia's face, was removed April 23 after swelling went down, the hospital said.

Doctors expect a full recovery after he has undergone rehabilitation therapy.

The co-worker has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

I think he used up all his luck on living through this ... 5 nails in your head??

Back in the mid-70's I worked for Wide World Photos, a division of AP. One morning a photo came across my desk of a man who had been in a car accident. He had impaled himself on a 4 x 4. It went straight thru the center of his chest, and out the back. The picture showed the EMT's trying to figure out how to get the guy in the ambulance with the wood thru his body.
They had to take a power saw into the OR to cut away the wood. Turned out that th 4 x 4 pushed aside all major organs and he survived.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Howdy All,
Well, He didn't exactly "hit the nail on the head." But it was close enough for goverment work

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Frank X. Morris
17 Kia Niro
08 Jeep Wrangler 4 door unlimited

Ther was also a recent story of a woman complaining of severe abdominal pain, 6 months after surgery. They took x-rays and it was revealed that she had surgical scissors in her abdomen.

Imagine the lawsuit....

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Enough about me, how are you doing?

I don't remember the thread. I do however get the feeling that some fellow members do take things a bit personal and get offended easily.

That's just my opinion of course, but I have alligator skin, so I think everyone gets offended easily.

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Enough about me, how are you doing?

I heard a story of a construction worker falling onto a piece of rebar and it went through the center of his head. His only pain was a headache when they cut the rebar with a saw.

Now this was just plain BAD!!

I don't remember that thread. However, unlimited malpractice suits are not an answer. Permanently yanking the substandard doctors license to practice medicine should be allowed - AFTER proof of their subpar behaviour.