Fisherman shot by friend with harpoon in northern Thailand (video)
A Thai fisherman shot through the head by a friend with a harpoon after a row over who caught the biggest fish said he felt better after a cigarette, despite the spear being lodged in his head.
The 45 year old fisherman, Sujit Klingtalay, had a spat with a friend while enjoying a drink in Nakhon Ratchasima province on Sunday, March 3. Things took a drastic turn when his friend, feeling rather fin-icky, grabbed a harpoon, aimed it at Sujit’s head, and fired, landing the sharp metal object near the base of Sujit’s skull.
Despite the rather fishy turn of events, Sujit remarkably felt ‘reel’ good after a cigarette, despite the spear being firmly lodged in his head.
Maintaining his sturge-on spirit, Sujit remained conscious and clear-headed as his friends hastily loaded him into the back of a pickup truck and sped him off to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital around noon.
Before surgeons could scale the situation and perform surgery, volunteers had to fin-agle a way to remove the footlong harpoon protruding from the back of Sujit’s head.
Armed with a plasma cutter, the crew plunged into action, swiftly hacking off the harpoon in a matter of seconds, leaving just a few centimetres still embedded in Sujit’s flesh.
Sujit revealed how a joke got out of hand.
“I was fishing with my friend and we joked about the fish we had caught. I said I had caught bigger fish than him but he was offended, and he started shouting about other subjects. I don’t remember everything because I had also been drinking beer.
“When the harpoon first hit me, I felt the pain in my head. But I had a cigarette and felt better. I was relieved when we arrived at the hospital and I was still alive because I could trust the doctors to handle the situation.”
Sujit mentioned that he hadn’t pressed charges against the alleged harpoon gunman as of yet. He expressed his intention to wait until he felt better before engaging with the police.
Doctor Anurak, the medical professional treating the patient said that Sujit will undergo X-rays, CT scans, and additional examinations to evaluate the extent of damage to his brain and skull, reported the Daily Mirror.
“This patient is lucky to survive. The angle of the harpoon went through the flesh and into the ear. It if had struck further to the right, it would have damaged his brain and he would have died.”
The harpoon story isn’t an isolated incident in Thailand. Last year, a fisherman from Rayong province in eastern Thailand accidentally speared himself in the face with a fish harpoon.
