Lesosibirsk resident Anton Bakulev, 30, speaks of his relief after nut and bolt kicked up by truck wedges in his face, close to eye.
‘If the nut and bolt had flown a little higher, he would inevitably lose an eye'. Picture: Krasnoyarsk Regional Clinical Hospital
All he felt at the time was a sharp blow to his face as a high speed truck drove by in his Krasnoyarsk region town. X-rays later amazed accident and emergency doctors when they saw a nut and bolt wedged in his right sinus.
It was 6.2 cm long (almost two and a half inches) by 2.5cm (1 inch).
'A truck drove by and I fell,’ said Anton. ‘I did not understand what happened, just the taste of metal in my mouth.
‘I only realised that something from under the truck flew into my face.
'Another car stopped and a man rushed to me, helping to wipe off the blood.
'There was so much of it I got really worried for my eye.
'The man drove me to an ambulance.'
'The doctors were quite shocked, but I didn’t even pay too much attenton to it as I just wanted to take the thing out as soon as possible.
‘The next morning, I was taken to the regional hospital by ambulance.’
‘The driver probably does not even know that he almost accidentally killed me.’ Pictures: Vesti Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Regional Clinical Hospital
Anton was immediately operated by surgeon Dr Ivan Kan.
‘If the nut and bolt had flown a little higher, he would inevitably lose an eye,’ said the doctor.
‘Now his vision in the damaged eye is reduced, but there is light reaction, and hopefully when the swelling reduces Anton will see better.’
Anton fears that the accident leaving him like a ‘human Frankenstein’ could have been worse still.
'Thanks to the skill of the doctors of the regional hospital, everything turned out well,’ he said. ‘I hope the vision will be restored.
‘It is a pity that I did not even notice the truck’s registration number.
‘The driver probably does not even know that he almost accidentally killed me.’
He said: ‘Of course I'm grateful [to the driver who helped me]. He did not drive by, but stopped, came to my assistance, brought me to the ambulance and provided first aid'.
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