Pliers impale Kansas teen after he slips on ice while shoveling snow: 'I didn't know they were in there'
WAKEENEY, Kan. - A freak accident left a Kansas teen impaled with a pair of pliers he was carrying.
15-year-old Joey Zeman of Wakeeney said he was shoveling snow with a friend for other people when he slipped and fell on the ice last Saturday.
Joey said when he fell at first, he didn't know where his pliers went. He often carries them as it is customary for people who work and live on a farm.
"I didn't know they were in there [his body] until I looked down," he told FOX Television Stations. "Then I tried to pull them out and they didn't come out."
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Pictures showed one of the handles impaling his side. Joey said the other handle scraped his skin, which hurt more than the actual impaling.
A look at Joey's injury. (Credit: Alicia Zeman)
"I started yelling for my friend's mom to come help me," he said, adding he was doing his best to remain calm.
Joey was rushed to a local hospital. He called his mother on the way, who had trouble believing him at first, being that her son often plays jokes but adding her son usually toughs his injuries out.
"They're farm kids, so it's like taking a farmer to the ER," his mother, Alicia, told FOX Television Stations. "They don't like to go very often. It's got to be pretty bad."
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Joey was then airlifted to another hospital where doctors removed the pliers. They said it fractured his hip bone but didn't damage any internal organs.
Joey Zeman was impaled by his pliers after he slipped and fell on ice. (Credit: Alicia Zeman)
The teenager is now at home on crutches but is expected to make a full recovery. He said he's going to be more careful when shoveling snow.
"While I'm shoveling snow, I'll just take my time." he continued, adding he won't wear them when it's icy outside.
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His mother also had some words of caution.
"Just don't carry pliers on the ice," she said.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.