Sometimes, academic journals have the best stories. Like last week’s issue of Forensic Science International, which describes how a man had a a drunken confrontation with the police and ended up with a taser dart stuck in his brain.
The most ridiculous part? He didn’t even realise it. The only reason he went to hospital was because he had a headache. In fact, it was lodged in his frontal lobe the whole time. From Forensic Science International:
“A 27 old man was immobilized by the police while he struggled with a police officer during an identification check and attempted an escape. He had a high level of alcohol at the time of the arrest. A X26 Taser was used to incapacitate and subdue the victim.
“No immediate medical examination was subsequently performed in the patient after the wires were propelled and he was allowed to return home. However, because he complained of a headache, he decided to go to the nearest hospital a few hours later.
“Upon presentation at the Emergency Department the patient was conscious. The examination revealed a harpoon-like barbed electrode dart implanted in the right frontal part of the skull and a right peri-orbital bruise…
“The brain CT scan revealed an encephalic injury in the right area of the frontal lobe. In fact, the probe was implanted in the frontal area of the skull and then in the right frontal cortex with a penetration depth of a few millimeters.”
Fortunately — and miraculously — he suffered no infection or neurological complication whatsoever. [Forensic Science International via Mind Hacks]