Fisherman Survives Terrifying Attack: Impaled by 60-Pound Fish Through Skull and Throat!

An unexpected turn of events occurred during a Louisiana man’s ocean fishing excursion when a fish impaled him in both the throat and the base of his skull.

The 31-year-old angler had successfully reeled in a 60-pound white marlin off the coast when the situation took a dangerous twist. As he bent over the boat’s edge to release the fish, it violently thrashed, propelling its sharp bill directly into his mouth. The impact flung him backwards, and he immediately experienced a sharp pain in his neck that extended down his spine. This alarming incident was detailed in a case report featured in The Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Following the accident, he was urgently transported to the hospital via boat and then helicopter, presenting with intense neck pain, stiffness, and blood in his mouth. Initial medical evaluations revealed a tear at the back of his throat, although standard X-rays did not immediately reveal anything concerning.

A Fish Stabs a Man in the Throat and Skull

Despite the unremarkable X-ray results, doctors felt something was amiss. A subsequent CT scan uncovered the true extent of the injury: a dense, pointed object had penetrated the rear of his throat, traveled through the foramen magnum—the opening at the skull’s base where the spinal cord begins—and embedded itself in his spinal canal.

The foreign object was identified as a 1.4-inch long fragment of the marlin’s bill that had broken off during the struggle.

Surgeons acted quickly to address the critical situation. The fragment was so firmly lodged in his skull that they needed to make an additional incision above his top vertebra to safely remove it. Post-surgery, the patient was treated with a robust regimen of antibiotics—five different types—to prevent infections from both marine bacteria and the typical microbes found in the throat.

In a turn of events bordering on miraculous, he was discharged from the hospital just eight days after the incident, having fully recovered without any lasting neurological impairments. At his final medical review, he showed no signs of lingering symptoms.

This incident is notable not only because of its rarity but also because of the specific nature of the injury. Damage to the foramen magnum is exceedingly rare, and this represents the first recorded instance of such an injury being caused by a fish. It is also the first documented case of a marlin bill causing a penetrating cranial injury, according to the report.

While history is replete with bizarre accidents involving ordinary objects, the image of a fish thrusting its bill into a man’s throat and spine is particularly extraordinary and unprecedented.