Victim of Nail-Gun Accident Survives a Delicate Surgery

LA Times ^ | May 6, 2004 | By William Wan

[mylife]

Victim of Nail-Gun Accident Survives a Delicate Surgery

A Lancaster construction worker is expected to fully recover after six nails were removed from his head, three embedded in his brain. By William Wan Times Staff Writer

May 6, 2004

When the medical helicopter arrived at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center last month, the patient inside was barely breathing, and doctors held little hope for him.

Construction worker Isidro Mejia had six nails in his head, including three embedded in his brain, one in his spinal column and one in his face.

While working at an Antelope Valley job site, Mejia, 39, stumbled on scaffolding and fell onto a co-worker who was using a nail gun, witnesses told authorities.

At the Mission Hills hospital, Dr. Rafael Quinonez looked at his comatose patient and puzzled over how to save him — with an operation that wasn't found in any medical books.

"The books, they cover bullets and maybe metal from car wrecks, but never nails in the head," the neurosurgeon said.

Over several days of operations, Quinonez and his team meticulously pulled out the nails. With X-rays as maps and a camera scope as his guide, the neurosurgeon found the head of each nail inside Mejia's skull and gingerly removed them.

On Wednesday, two weeks after his accident, Mejia said he felt lucky to be alive. Still hospitalized, the construction worker spoke slowly in Spanish. He had lost most of his English-speaking skills, doctors said, when one of the nails entered the frontal lobe of his brain, damaging the speech center.

[Joe 6-pack]

I guess it isn't all that funny after all. Sounds like someone was trying to frame him.

[Poohbah]

I guess it isn't all that funny after all. Sounds like someone was trying to frame him.

*groan*

[Centurion2000]

Construction worker Isidro Mejia had six nails in his head, including three embedded in his brain, one in his spinal column and one in his face.

First quesion, is the guy insured ? Who just paid for these operations ? I hope it was the construction company

Second question, is the contruction company insured well? This man is going to have one interesting payoff.

[Vigilantcitizen]

You are wrong, nail guns are indeed fully automatic.

If the user is holding down the trigger...and the nose or discharge [muzzle] of the gun contacts or is depressed by the work surface, the gun will continue to fire until its empty.

No, you have to lift up and depress the nose (Safety mechanism) for each shot, or bump it per se. It will not shoot multiple fasteners per nose bump. It will not empty the clip by depressing the nose, and holding the trigger.

[Vigilantcitizen]

If you promise not to tell...I've got a full auto staple gun I rigged up for shop battles.

I was a gunner's mate.

[antaresequity]

Here is the excerpt from one of my nail gun manuals. This happens to be a Hitachi full headed framing nailer, but all them work the same [Senco,Bostich,Pasload...]

-snip-

(2) Continuous operation (push lever fire)

a) Pull the trigger with the Nailer off the workpiece

b)Depress the push lever against the workpiece to drive the nail [Push the nose down]

c)Move the nailer along the workpiece with a bouncing motion. Each depression of the puch lever will drive a nail.

A soon as the desired number of nails have been driven, remove the finger from the trigger.

-snip-

FWIW, I can recall several occasions when operating pneumatic nailers in tight spaces like joist bays or closets or the like, where I could barely fit the gun into the cavity, and upon firing the first shot, the subsequent bounce recoil bounce back turn the damn thing into tommy gun as it tried to empty its clips.

This guy could have got pinned against the scaffold, or the building, or under the guy after the fall, producing the same effect.

[zygoat]

"On Wednesday, two weeks after his accident, Mejia said he felt lucky to be alive. Still hospitalized, the construction worker spoke slowly in Spanish. He had lost most of his English-speaking skills, doctors said, when one of the nails entered the frontal lobe of his brain, damaging the speech center."

I feel bad for Isidro, and sincerely wish him a full recovery, but I'll bet his english-speaking skills were lacking before he got nailed.

[antaresequity]

Killer!...we sometimes used to wedge back the nose safty and blast away at unsuspecting crows and what not visiting the site....

Or line up cans and shoot em.

Staple guns have a much higher rate of fire than a full framing nailer...

I am a Senco guy when it comes to finish nailers and staplers.

Goggles, a good hat, welding sleaves and gloves and I will dual you with staple guns....

[antaresequity]

No, you have to lift up and depress the nose (Safety mechanism) for each shot, or bump it per se. It will not shoot multiple fasteners per nose bump. It will not empty the clip by depressing the nose, and holding the trigger.

Ya but you and I both know, that when you get the unit in place where the blow back clears the nose guard and then bounces back to the work piece [this guys head]...its just like full auto...

Its like a pogo stick that fires every time it hits the ground...and can get into a viscious fast cyclic if your not paying attention...like falling off a building

[Vigilantcitizen]

I could have an easier time believing this was an accident if he got shot once or twice, but six times from two different angles?

Secondly, imagine walking a wall with a framing nailer in your hand. Something, anything, causes you to fall. Your first instinct will be to drop the gun and reach for whatever you can.

That's what I did when a gust of wind knocked over the trusses we were standing on a Hardees in Tampa. Fla., knocking me off the wall.

[Vigilantcitizen]

Its like a pogo stick that fires every time it hits the ground...and can get into a viscious fast cyclic if your not paying attention...like falling off a building

I'll grant you that point.

I am a Senco guy when it comes to finish nailers and staplers.

I'm a duofast guy when it comes to staplers, which is mostly what I use to do exhibit-museum type work.

Goggles, a good hat, welding sleaves and gloves and I will dual you with staple guns....

Or...

[small voice in the wilderness]

"The books, they cover bullets and maybe metal from car wrecks, but never nails in the head," the neurosurgeon said.

"Caulk gun....Sandpaper...Putty...PUTTY, nurse...damn, this one doesn't look good...Drywall..."

[TalBlack]

"I work in a shop full of carpenters, and showed them the x-ray of buddy's head. All of us find it hard to believe this was an accident."

Actually, the picture made me wonder if these nail guns have an "auto" setting.

[Harpo Speaks]

A three-penny nail for your thoughts.

[raybbr]

"Nail guns are strong enough to go through bone," said Raul Samiego, a hardware salesman at a Los Angeles Home Depot store. "Most nail guns are pressure-sensitive. If you keep the trigger down, it will shoot rapidly without stopping."

He makes it sound like you can point it and shoot it like a gun. I think that's where the confusion is coming from. Doesn't say you have to keep pushing the gun down onto the work.

[raybbr]

He had lost most of his English-speaking skills, doctors said, when one of the nails entered the frontal lobe of his brain, damaging the speech center.

A new type of excuse for not learning English?

Also, notice he's a tradesman not a dishwasher or a fruit picker.

[arkady_renko]

I'm surprised that they didn't spike this story...

A_R

[mylife]

Ohhh Harpo! LOL

[HighWheeler]

Something wrong here.

This would take 6 separate, distinct, and active activations to trigger 6 firings. Then we have the problem of 6 nails with 6 different vectors, 3 of which are in apparent parallel paths.

How would the 4 trigger actuations be done from behind?

How did the relative positions of the guy's head and the nail gun change between each of 6 trigger actuations?

So many questions, so suspicious.

[speedy]

Okay, just getting in tonight, I was out tooling around, so I missed the fun. But thanks for pinging me, Joe. This guy really screwed up, and he needs to try a new tack. This had to be a wrenching experience for him, especially when he saw (get it) those X-rays. I'll stop for now -- I'm sure you're board to tears.