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Man Survives Nail-Gun Shot Deep in His Brain

Charl de Souza

Updated April 7^th 2012

In an incident similar to the Chinese teenager who arrived at hospital with a Japanese sword stuck in his skull, a Chicago man shot a nail deep into his brain with a nail gun and astonishingly … survived.

Dante Autullo, 34, was in his workshop when his nailgun misfired, recoiling near his head. He had held the nailgun above his head, when the tool fired. He felt like he had been punched on the side of his head, but assumed the nail had whizzed past his ear. He thought the nailgun had cut him, so he asked his fiancée, Gail Glaenzer to clean the wound that looked like a superficial flesh wound. They thought that was it, and he continued working. They had no idea the nail had entered his brain.

We have pain-sensing nerves on our skull, but none within our brains. So Autullo felt the nail penetrate his skull, but not after the nail had lodged deep inside his brain.

Dante Autullo’s nailed brain

The next day after taking a nap Autullo felt nauseous. His partner suggested going to hospital. He did not think it was that serious at first, but later that evening they did go.

At the hospital an X-ray was taken, showing a long thin shiny object in the middle of the X-ray plate. Autullo thought the doctors were pulling his leg.

When they showed him the X-ray photo he asked them, “Is this a joke? Did you get that out of the doctors joke file?”

The doctor is reported to have replied, “No man, that’s in your head.”

He was rushed by ambulance to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Chicago where he underwent a two hours brain surgery. On the way between the hospitals he posted a picture of the X-ray on Facebook from the ambulance.

The surgeons removed the 8.24cm (3 1/4-inch) nail, which was embedded millimetres from the part of the brain that controls motor functions. The surgeons made two holes in the patient’s skull, on either side of the nail, pulling the nail out along with a piece of the skull.

Neurosurgeon Leslie Schaffer explained that a nail penetrating the skull is not as damaging as being shot in the head.

“A bullet would break into multiple pieces,” he said. “This nail is thinner, with a small trajectory, and pointed at the end. The bone doesn't fracture much because the nail has a small tip.”

Schaffer said the nail was stopped from going farther into his brain by the skull.

After Autullo woke op after surgery, Glaenzer said, “It’s amazing, a miracle. He feels good. He moved all his limbs, he’s talking normal, he remembers everything.”

Recalling what happened, Autullo said he was in his workshop using the nail gun when the gun came in contact with his head. The sensor recognised a flat surface and fired. It felt as though the point of the gun hit his forehead and the wound looked like a superficial cut.

And what will happen to the nail? Dante Autullo says he will make a necklace out of it.

In April a New jersey builder survived a nail gun shooting a nail into his heart.

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