There is madness and there is stupid! It seems a Masterton,New Zealand man wanted to find out if a nail could pierce bone so he placed a nailgun against his forehead and pulled the trigger to find out. The nail shot into his skull, pinned his beanie to his head and came to rest behind his nose.
He was transferred to Wellington Hospital where the nail was removed, leaving him without sight in one eye. "Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of brain function going on before or after that decision."
The bizarre case from 2010 is just one of thousands emergency department staff face each year, figures obtained under the Official Information Act show.
Ten of the more unusual Emergency Department cases:
1 A patient aged 20-39 suffered burns while making cheese sauce in a jug.
2 Someone under 20 cut their foot while "digging with spade to Russia".
3 "Killing sheep in the dark" left a person aged 60-79 with a cut finger.
4 A patient aged 20-39 hurt their ribs when they "picked up dog to throw over fence".
5 Tripping while "putting on jeans" left someone aged 40-59 with a thumb injury.
6 Someone under 20 ended up with "lacerated buttocks" after falling through a glass coffee table.
7 A patient aged 20-39 injured their toe after they "kicked couch whilst watching a movie".
8 Cartwheeling into someone's head left a person under 20 with an injured foot.
9 Someone in the 20-39 age group ended up in ED after eating a sea slug.
10 A patient under 20 got a sore ear from spraying deodorant into it.
The count:
Emergency Department presentations in 2011:
Wellington Hospital: 51,770
Hutt Hospital: 39,509
Palmerston North Hospital: 39,244
Hawke's Bay Hospital: 38,349
Wairarapa Hospital: 20,198
