Wisconsin Man Drives to ED After Accidentally Puncturing His Heart With a Nail

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin man who doctors say came perilously close to death after accidentally shooting a nail into his heart while working on his house calmly drove himself to the hospital and even parked his pickup truck in the lot before walking into the emergency room. Doug Bergeson is ready to get back to work this week after surviving a June 25 ordeal that others might not have taken in such stride. Bergeson told The Associated Press he was working on framing in a fireplace at his house near Peshtigo in northeast Wisconsin when his nail gun accidentally fired, sending a nail ricocheting off some wood and into his chest. "I thought it just nicked me. I looked down. I couldn't see anything," Bergeson said in an interview Tuesday. "I felt OK. I wasn't worried about the injury. I couldn't feel any pressure or blood building up." As he tugged at his sweatshirt, Bergeson, 52, said he realized only about 1 inch of the 3½-inch nail was sticking out of his chest. "I could see the nail moving with my heartbeat. It was kind of twitching with every heartbeat," Bergeson said. He was more annoyed than worried. He knew he had to go to the ER. "I was frustrated because I knew I wasn't going to get home until late and I couldn't get anything done," Bergeson said, adding that "common sense" told him not to pull the nail out. So he washed up, hopped in his truck and made his way to Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette, about 10 mi...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care News Source Type: news