Dante Autullo Shoots 3.5 Inch Nail Into His Head: Illinois Man Didn't Notice Injury

A suburban Chicago man is recovering at a local hospital after accidentally shooting himself with a nail gun - and not noticing the 3 ½ inch nail lodged in his brain for more than 24 hours.

Dante Autullo, 32, was working in his garage Tuesday when he fired a nail gun and one of the shots sent the gun near his head, the SouthtownStar reports. He thought he just had a gash from the gun, and didn't realize anything was wrong until the next day.

The Associated Press reports that Autullo went to work the next day, but later went to the hospital after complaining of nausea and a bad headache.

"They were shocked because he was walking and talking and he had it in for 36 hours," Autullo's mother told the Southtown. "I hoped that it wasn't going to be as bad as it looked."

Doctors at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn were able to remove the nail from the Orland Park man's skull, the Chicago Tribune reports. They replaced a piece of his skull with a mesh patch and titanium plate.

The father of four was doing well Thursday.

"It's a miracle," his fiancee told the Southtown. "Un-freaking-believable."

Check out the photo, plus other amazing X-ray photos here: