Worker impaled by falling rebar, miraculously survives

Firefighters and workers rescue Xiang Shihua, a construction worker in Longyan, Fujian province, after he was impaled by a falling metal rod on a construction site May 17. Photo: taihainet.com

Doctors in Longyan, Fujian province said a construction worker is recovering after a 3-meter piece of rebar fell from the 15th story of a building and impaled him on May 17.

The 46-year-old Xiang Shihua, of Dazhou, Sichuan province, was working on the ground floor of the building when two metal rods fell from above.

One bar skewered his right back and exited from his left hip, pinning him to the ground.

Local firefighters responded to the scene and cut through the bar to free him.

Xiang was rushed to a local hospital and treated for broken ribs and injuries to his liver.

"It is really fortunate that the rebar went directly into his abdomen, avoiding the chest and big blood vessels in abdomen," said Liu Yongsheng, a doctor at First Hospital of Longyan City.

According to the report, Xiang will remain under medical evaluation at the hospital for a week.