New Zealand Man Survives Bizarre Air Hose Accident

A New Zealand man has survived a bizarre accident involving a high-pressure air hose, which left him painfully swollen like the Michelin Man. Now safely back to his normal self, he is enjoying a somewhat inflated reputation.

Steven McCormack, a truck driver from the small town of Opotiki, New Zealand, found himself in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Whakatane after a freak incident on Saturday. While standing on the rigging between his truck and trailer at Waiotahi Contractors, McCormack slipped and fell onto a brass valve that connected the truck’s brakes to the compressed air supply. The nozzle pierced his left buttock, and air rushed into his body at 100 pounds per square inch.

In mere minutes, McCormack’s body expanded to twice its normal size. His boss, Robbie Petersen, witnessed the accident and described how McCormack’s body began to inflate, with his face swelling like a balloon. Despite the urgency, both of the town’s ambulances were occupied, and the nearest rescue helicopter was two hours away and also unavailable.

As McCormack screamed in pain, his co-workers managed to stop the air supply and lay him on his side, trying to keep him calm with ice packs around his neck. It took an hour for paramedics to arrive. When they attempted to insert a needle for a morphine drip, the pressure from the air inside McCormack’s body pushed the needle out. The air had filled his abdomen and chest, even reaching the space around his heart, lungs, and behind his eyelids.

Doctors explained that being impaled in the buttock was crucial to his survival, as it avoided hitting an artery. After being rushed to the hospital, a team of five doctors inserted a hose through his ribs to help him breathe. Although they could remove some fluid, the air had to escape naturally, resulting in an enormous amount of flatulence. It took McCormack three days to return to his normal size, and he was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday to continue his recovery at home.

McCormack’s mother, Tui McCormack, confirmed that he has completely recovered, describing him as “good as gold.” Despite the ordeal, McCormack suffered no broken bones or bruises, just a puncture wound. He is expected to return to work in two weeks, and in the meantime, his colleagues are coming up with playful nicknames for him, enjoying a bit of banter at his expense.

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