A 3-month-old boy was in stable condition after a nail fired from a nail gun ricocheted into his head in a fluke accident at a Delta construction site, officials say.
“Quite frankly, our investigation shows this was a tragic, freakish type accident,” Delta Police Chief Rich Bacher said. “It doesn’t appear that (the mother) was dangerously close (to construction workers).”
The boy, whose identity has not been released, was undergoing treatment Thursday night at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.
Bacher said the child’s parents were with friends and family members Wednesday at 8:27 p.m. when the accident happened at a construction site of a shop in the 1600 block of H-38 Road.
The child was in his mother’s lap, wrapped in her arms, Bacher said.
A construction worker fired a round-headed 10-D framer’s nail, and it ricocheted off boards and struck the child in the head, Bacher said.
He said he does not know how deep the nail penetrated the boy’s head or whether the wound inflicted permanent damage.
“This was a highly emotional situation,” Bacher said.
The mother handed the child to his father, who tried to hold the boy still while emergency workers arrived, Bacher said.
He also declined to release the name of the boy’s parents. He said detectives are interviewing witnesses of the accident.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
