Nail gun accidents prompt warning

Ambulance Victoria recently reported that 11 people have been injured in nail gun accidents across Melbourne over the past six months, including five in the month of September alone.

Two of the 11 injured had 5 cm nails lodge in their head, while another pulled out a nail which entered near his eye.

Ambulance Victoria's paramedic team manager, Shaun Columbine, says the accidents can have devastating consequences: “It’s important that people realise how dangerous nail guns can be, and how easily accidents can happen. One of those injured is an 18-year-old man who had the nail lodge into his head. The accident has had a major impact on the man’s life. Another of those hurt was being supervised at a TAFE college. A 34-year-old man who was shot in the leg was injured in a similar accident in September last year.

“Anyone who has a foreign object like a nail embedded into their body should leave it in place and call 000. Pulling the nail out can cause more damage and lead to serious bleeding. Leaving the nail in allows it to be safely removed in surgery.”

Those injured include:

• a 34-year-old man shot in the leg;
• a 20-year-old man shot in the foot;
• a 41-year-old woman shot in the head;
• a 41-year-old man shot through the finger;
• a 16-year-old boy shot in the hand;
• a 26-year-old man shot in the eye; and
• an 18-year-old man shot in the head.