Woman flown to hospital after impaling neck on garden stake

A woman in her 80s has been flown to Brisbane after she was impaled with a 150cm stake in a freak gardening accident, the pole remaining in place even as she was taken to hospital.

A woman was flown to hospital after becoming impaled on a garden stake.

An elderly woman has been flown to hospital after she was impaled through the neck by a garden stake.

The woman, aged in her 80s, was gardening on Tuesday afternoon at a property in Eli Waters when she fell onto the tool.

Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics drove her to hospital, where doctors were unable to safely remove the long metal bar protruding from her neck.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Nigel Jones told ABC Wide Bay the woman, aged 83, was walking through her backyard at her home holding a garden stake, when she tripped and fell on Tuesday.

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“While falling, the stake has penetrated her neck, which has resulted in quite a significant injury,” he said.

The woman was home alone at the time of the accident but called out to neighbours, who called triple 0.

Mr Jones said when ambulances responded, the woman was conscious and alert with no significant bleeding.

“She was in very good spirits, and she was able to communicate normally with crew and luckily had minimal pain,” Mr Jones said.

“The metal garden stake was about 150cm long and sticking out of her neck until the hospital medical team cut it back to about 15cm to make it easier to manage her treatment and transfer,” RACQ LifeFlight aircrew officer Scott Reeman said.

The rescue helicopter was tasked to transport the woman about 8pm.

She was flown by the Sunshine Coast-based RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter crew to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a stable condition for further treatment.

Originally published as Woman flown to hospital after impaling neck on garden stake