Metal rod impales young man's forehead at construction site
<cite class="author author-simon-black ">Simon Black </cite><cite>The Daily Telegraph </cite>
August 16, 2013 11:16AM
A construction worker has been impaled in the head by a re-enforcing steel rod at a construction site at Tyron Rd, Lindfield. Pic: Adam Ward Source: News Limited
A FREAK accident has left a 19-year-old man with a metal reinforcement bar embedded in the centre of his forehead at a construction site on the north shore.
The young man, known only as Kieran, was clearing rubble with an excavator on Tyron road, Linfield when a bar snapped and drove into the cabin.
Construction worker, Kieran, 19, is cut free from the excavator cabin before being transported to Royal North Shore Hospital. Picture: Adam Ward Source: News Limited
"I heard him yelling out 'help me, help me'," fellow worker Eric Reddacliff said. "We all thought he was joking and holding a piece of metal up to his head." "When I got closer I realised he had a re-bar (reinforcement bar) stuck dead-centre in his forehead." Fire-Rescue, police, ambulance and CareFlight teams were involved in the rescue shortly after 10am.
Emergency services work to stabilise Kieran before he was transported to Royal North Shore Hospital. Pic: Adam Ward Source: News Limited
The young man was treated by a CareFlight trauma doctor and paramedics as fire officers worked to cut him free.Mr Reddacliff said his co-worker was conscious and speaking during the wait for the ambulance. "He seemed ok," he said. "I mean, he had a concerned look on his face but what do you expect." "This is one of the weirdest things I've seen. Just a freak accident."
Construction worker Kieran was clearing rubble from a work site at Lindfield on Sydney’s north shore when an metal re-inforcement rod smashed through the cabin and into his forehead today. Picture: Adam Ward Source: News Limited
Fire and Rescue NSW station officer Greg Pace said fire fighters had cut the cabin from the excavator before transporting the man to Royal North Shore Hospital."We were thinking about cutting the bar but the doctor was concerned about the vibrations," Mr Pace said. "So we took the cabin off and got him out still holding onto it."
He praised the young man's bravery. "He said he was in pain but he didn't make a peep while we were working," he said. An ambulance NSW spokesman said the young man was in a stable condition.
