A maintenance worker at an Ohio state park who suffered a rare internal decapitation and miraculously survived has revealed the heartbreaking thought that crossed his mind when he feared he might not make it.
Philip Pohle, 32, was removing dead trees from a road at Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio last month when his foot became stuck on the gas pedal of a front loader. The vehicle accelerated and a branch struck his neck, forcing his skull away from his spine.
Pohle told WBNS that while trapped in the front loader, all he could think about was his two children. 'I started thinking of my children because it was really nice being a dad. I just thought how much I was going to miss them, miss my babies,' he said.
Pohle suffered an atlanto-occipital dislocation, commonly referred to as an internal decapitation, which occurs when the ligaments in the neck are severed, leaving the skull disconnected from the spine. Despite the severity, he survived and is now walking again after surgeons used plates and screws to stabilise his skull.
Dr Victor Awuor, a neurosurgeon with OhioHealth Physician Group, told WBNS that about 50 per cent of patients with this injury die at the scene, and a significant number of those who reach hospital are paralysed. Pohle, however, has made a speedy recovery and hopes to return to work soon.
