Man Incredibly Survives Two Days With Crossbow Bolt In Brain

Medical personnel in Ancona, Italy were left absolutely stunned after a 64-year-old man was discovered awake with a crossbow bolt right in his forehead. Reportedly known as a crossbow enthusiast, the man was found by police following a family member contacting them. For two days, he was unable to eat or drink, but when rushed to the hospital, he was conscious.

Torette Hospital‘s head of Neurosurgery, Dr. Maurizio Iacoangeli said that the man was conscious and that his eyes were open when he arrived at the establishment. He was also talking, however, incoherently babbling.

“The arrow even prevented him from turning his head,” said Iacoangeli to Corriere della Sera. “If the arrow follows the correct path. If it avoids the noble areas of the brain, the so-called eloquent structures, the pericallosal artery, the superior sagittal sinus, the major venous vessels, then it can happen. One millimeter further, and the patient would have died instantly. He was lucky. Or, if you believe it, helped from above.”

‘Incredible, But True’: Man Miraculously Survives Two Days With A Crossbow Bolt In His Brain Before Being Rescued

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Iacoangeli stated that he was stunned when he was looking at the CT scan of the man.

“I see this arrow. A dark, straight line crossing the skull from the forehead to the nape of the neck. Incredible, but true,” Iacoangeli said. “It followed a path that we, in the operating room, sometimes choose on purpose: longer but safer. As if it had deliberately avoided vital points. It passed slightly paramedian, not on the midline. An ‘intelligent’ path.”

It was also highlighted by the doctor that the man’s life was saved partly due to the crossbow bolt being made out of carbon fiber. (RELATED: Mother Reportedly Loses Arm In Nightmare Game Of Mini-Golf)

“It didn’t create any artifacts on the CT scan: we were able to study everything clearly,” said Iacoangeli. “The vessels, the structures it passed through, the path. This allowed us to better plan the procedure. Because it’s not so much removing it, it’s removing it without triggering massive bleeding. The arrow acts as a plug. You pull it out and risk the hole opening up.”

The crossbow bolt was eventually removed by Iacoangeli’s colleague by using military techniques in an operation.