OWERRI, IMO, NIGERIA – NOVEMBER, 2019 35-year-old Nigerian bricklayer suffered an extremely serious injury while working at a construction site. After falling from a multi-story building, he landed neck-first directly onto a hammer that was standing on the ground with its handle pointing upward. The hammer penetrated the front of his neck and came out through the back.
Despite the life-threatening injury, the man had no breathing difficulties when he arrived at Federal Medical Centre in Owerri, and his vital signs were relatively stable. Doctors therefore immediately assembled a team of specialists, including ENT surgeons, vascular surgeons, trauma surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other specialists.
During emergency surgery, doctors removed the hammer from his neck. To their surprise, the object had missed the most important structures in the neck – the carotid artery, internal jugular vein, esophagus, trachea, and spine. This incredibly precise trajectory likely contributed to the man avoiding massive blood loss or fatal damage to vital organs.
After the procedure, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit for observation. The following morning, doctors said that his condition was progressing very well and that his vital signs remained stable.
