Girl impaled in sledding accident

A ten-year-old girl has been impaled in a horrific sledding accident in the US state of Maryland.

The girl was playing in the early morning snowfall on Monday when the left side of her back landed on a steel bar hidden beneath the snow.

Authorities estimate that the bar was about 4cm in diameter.

"It was a pretty good size," Jarrettsville Volunteer Fire Company Chief Ruddy Walter told the New York Daily News.

The girl's parents, who were within earshot of the accident, called paramedics, who managed to remove part of the bar with a saw.

"There were six inches that were still stuck out of her," Mr Walter said.

After struggling for some 28 minutes to free the girl, emergency crews transported her to hospital where doctors managed to remove the rest of the steel.

"She was definitely in a little bit of shock but she really did a tremendous job having a piece of metal impaled in her," Mr Walter said. "You didn't hear her yelling, screaming or crying. Periodically, sure. But she was a tough trooper for sure."

The girl has undergone surgery and although her injuries are serious, she is likely to make a full recovery.

Source: Baltimore Sun

Author: Natasha Lee, Approving editor: Martin Zavan