New Zealand trucker 'blown up like balloon' by air hose

[4Eyes]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13537084

"I was blowing up like a football... it felt like I had the bends, like in diving. I had no choice but just to lay there, blowing up like a balloon," he told the local newspaper, the Whakatane Beacon.

Mr McCormack confided that the air was gradually escaping his body in the way that air usually does.

... it sounds like an April 1 story - mind boggling.

[Drastic]

"Steven McCormack had fallen between the cab and the trailer of his truck, breaking the air hose.

The nozzle pierced his buttock and began pumping air into his body, which expanded dramatically."

Why does it seem like something is missing from the story.

[grnidone]

It doesn't sound like the air hose went into up the back end, just made a hole in skin and muscle.  I think if it went up the back end, he'd be in worse shape.

[rcjordan]

> just made a hole in skin and muscle

Without reading the article, I'd agree with the above because of "Do not horseplay with compressed air hoses!!" is one of the standard warnings construction foremen have to give to their new hires.  Every so often, though, someone thinks it'd be funny to point a 100# compressed airstream from a paintgun or nailer at their buddy's ass.  The hose tip just has to get close -not even touching- and the colon fills with air and bursts.

[dogboy]

I can just see the new safety stickers they will plaster everwhere, if this guy sues the air hose folks:)

[grnidone]

It sounds like he fell when he was hooking up the air brakes from the tractor to the trailer.  I've done that more times than I can count, and it hurts like hell. 

Maybe the air hose was just laying on the back of the tractor when he fell?

[4Eyes]

Slightly more info here: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/05/25/2011-05-25_new_zealand_truck_driver_steven_mccormack_nearly_pops_after_getting_air_hose_lod.html

The freak accident left McCormack's skin crackling with air bubbles. Although doctors were able to extract the excess fluids, the truck driver was forced to release the air in the only way possible.

"You can't turn a tap on and let it out," he told 3News. "You just have to burp it out, or fart it out."

McCormack as since recovered, but it took nearly three days for him to return to his normal size.

[grnidone]

"They went to put a drip in me, but when they put the needle in, [the air] spit the needle out," he said.

Holy God!

[dogboy]

skin crackling with air bubbles

This part actually happened to me once... I ruptured my lung having an asthma attack and the air escaped into my collar bone and neck area, and made that sound for a few weeks.