20-stone man impaled on fence spike
February 23, 2009
A HEROIC factory worker today told how he helped save a man who had impaled himself on a 6ft fence spike.
For 15 minutes Jason Hart, 38, took the weight of the 20 stone man who had tried to climb the fence in Romford Road, Holbrooks.
The spike had pierced the unnamed man's right thigh so deeply he was taken to hospital with railings still embedded in his flesh.
Mr Hart said: "My hands are still aching today. He was a big man.
"He kept trying to get off by pulling himself up off the spike but he couldn't.
"I just tried to support him and keep him still because I could see the imprint of the spike moving under his skin.
"He wasn't crying out – he just kept trying to free himself. I think at one point he did black out but then he came round again."
Mr Hart, who lives opposite the gate, said he had been disturbed at 9pm on Saturday February 22.
He said: "I heard a lot of commotion in my back garden. I thought someone was trying to steal my motorbike.
"I ran out and saw the man on the fence. He was a big guy – probably about 20 stone.
"I didn't give it a second thought really. You have to help. You can't just leave somebody.
"My neighbour called the emergency service and I told her to say it was through the thigh because I knew there were arteries there."
Firefighters from Coventry Community Fire Station in Radford Road used cutting equipment to remove a large section of the fence as the ambulance crew treated the man.
He was eventually freed at 9.37pm – nearly 40 minutes after becoming stuck.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "Crews arrived to find a man, believed to be in his late 30's, who had become impaled on fence.
"Ambulance staff worked with fire crews, whilst the spike he was impaled on was removed from the fence, enabling crews to safety release the man.
"The man was treated for an injury to his right thigh. He was conveyed to University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire, with the spike still present in his leg, for further assessment and treatment.
"The hospital was alerted to the arrival of the man and of his injuries."
It is not clear why the man had been trying to climb the fence.
A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said police were on the scene to help fire and ambulance crews and but were no criminal proceedings were active.
Do you know the man who was impaled? Please contact us by email or phone.
