Doctor says nail punctured Wisconsin man's heart

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Wisconsin man who doctors say came perilously close to death after accidentally shooting a nail into his heart while working on his house calmly drove himself to the hospital and even parked his pickup truck in the lot before walking into the emergency room.

Bergeson told The Associated Press he was working on framing in a fireplace at his house near Peshtigo in northeast Wisconsin when his nail gun accidentally fired, sending a nail ricocheting off some wood and into his chest.

[...] he washed up, hopped in his truck and made his way to Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette, about 10 minutes away.

After parking his truck and walking into the ER, Bergeson said he started to feel more pain and summoned a security guard for help.

[...] thinking he would soon be on his way home after a little medical attention, Bergeson texted his wife, Donna, to bring him a new shirt because medical staff had cut off the one he was wearing.

Dr. Alexander Roitstein confirmed the nail hit Bergeson's heart, saying it was also 1/16 of an inch from a major artery.