Teenager survives being shot in head with harpoon

Published Jun 20 2012, 16:56 BST  |  By Charlotte Grant-West

A teenager in South Florida has survived after being shot in the head with a fishing spear.

Yasser Lopez, aged 16, was loading fishing equipment into a boat with friends when the spear accidentally went off. The spear directly entered his head above his right eye and penetrated through his brain to the back of his skull.

Lopez was airlifted to a Miami-area hospital with the spear protruding a metre out of his forehead. Doctors worked for three hours to remove the spear with a high speed drill, according to Sky News.

The medical team revealed that Lopez was conscious and talking to them before the surgery. It was later revealed that the harpoon did not damage any of Lopez's vital brain structures.

After the surgery, Lopez could talk in short sentences but had no recollection of the event.

> Man survives shooting nail into his own heart
> Man shoots nail into brain without noticing

Watch footage of Lopez being taken to hospital below: