Ron Hunt of Tuckee, CA was standing on a six foot step ladder yesterday and drilling above his head with a 1 1/2″ auger bit. He lost his balance, threw the drill and then fell face-first onto the drill bit. The bit impaled him, entering through his eye, pushing through his skull above his right ear. His x-ray is shown below.

Hunt was airlifted to the Washoe Medical Center in Reno with the 18″ long drill bit still in his head. Fortunately, no one on the jobsite decided to hit the reverse button to try to remove it. When his brother and nephew got to the hospital, he was talking and joking, with the drill bit still as shown above.

Amazingly, he seems to have no brain injuries, though he has lost his eye. The doctors noted that the bit seemed to push the brain aside, rather than impaling it and causing major trauma. Though he has some pain, he doesn’t seem to have any speech or motor function problems.

At this time, the worst part of the accident revolves around insurance. Hunt was working as an independent contractor and doesn’t appear to be covered by Workman’s Compensation. Friends and family are raising money to help cover his extensive medical costs. My guess is that an accident like this will have him ending up on someone’s workman’s comp, though not without a fight. My friend Randy noted that CA will probably now outlaw drill bits as a public safety hazard.

As I consider the photo above, I’m in awe of our human bodies. We are truly “Fearfully and wonderfully made”. You think about that…and be careful on ladders.