Chris Clear, 19 years old, was helping to move a roto-tiller when he felt what he thought was a rock hit him in the face. In actuality, a metal pin from the roto-tiller had shot into his brain. After the accident, his nose began bleeding profusely, which is when he went to a local hospital, and they x-rayed his neck, where the pain had shifted. The hospital sent him home after the x-ray, incorrectly diagnosing him with only a cervical sprain. The second trip to the hospital revealed the true problem: the large metal pin had lodged in Chris’ brain. Apparently the blunt end of the pin went in through his nose, past his eye socket, and got lodged in the back of his brain. Chris’ prognosis was grim: death, paralysis, mobility and speech impairments were all distinct possibilities. Chris was fortunate, however, the pin missed several major arteries and after a 9 hour surgery the pin was removed and he is almost like new. The only left over symptoms: if he touches his scar his front teeth go numb and his taste in food has changed, but that appears to be it. While Chris is lucky to be alive and well, he did not have insurance coverage at the time, which means the expensive surgery costs will be great to bear. To read more click here.
