Most people wouldn't think of gardening as a high-risk activity, but the example of Arizona man Leroy Luetscher might make you think again.
Luetscher required major surgery after he was impaled on his own pruning shears - handle side first. The 86-year-old dropped his shears in the ground while gardening and they landed blade-side down. He lost his balance and fell, impaling himself on the shears' handle which became lodged in his eye socket.
The Daily Mail reports that the implement's handle "penetrated Mr Luetscher's eye socket and went down into his neck, resting on his external carotid artery."
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Despite his gruesome injury, the Arizona Daily Star reports that:
Surgeons at UMC removed the gardening tool, rebuilt his orbital floor with metal mesh and saved Luetscher's eye, [UMC spokeswoman Jo Marie Gellerman] said.
Amazingly, Luetscher is expected to make a full recovery. Following the operation, he has some swelling around his eyelids and minor double vision - ailments that seem minor considering the extent of his injuries.
Luetscher appears to be well aware of how lucky he was. He is quoted in the New York Daily News as saying: "I am so grateful to the doctors and staff at UMC."