Newspaper carrier impaled on fence

8:45 AM on 09/02/2009

READ MORE: Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fence, Newspaper

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A routine delivery run for a Fayetteville, North Carolina newspaper carrier turned into a harrowing ordeal.

Kevin Williams became impaled on a wrought iron fence for over 2 hours; hanging upside down more than six feet in the air.

It began when he tossed a bundle of papers over a locked wrought iron gate on Old Street about 3 in the morning.

After he did that, he realized he'd tossed the wrong bundle of papers to the wrong customer. Those papers were supposed to go to the branch library.

"If I didn't get the papers, I was going to be short five customers," Kevin explained.

His desire to keep his customers happy, while completing his route on time lead to the decision climb the gate. He figured it would only take a minute or two.

"I lost my balance and at first I thought it was my pants leg hanging up because I wasn't bleeding at the time," said Kevin.

It turned out that 51-year-old Kevin had impaled his calf and was hanging upside down.

"I was suspended in mid-air about a foot from the ground," Kevin added.

After about an hour, Kevin says he was able to free his impaled left foot from the fence and he thought he'd be ok. But then, things got worse.

"In the process of freeing my left leg my sneaker got caught and my other leg got twisted upon the fence," he said.

Now, Kevin admitted had one thought rolling over and over in his head. "I was thinking I should have left the papers because I didn't want to die like this.''

Weak from loss of blood, in great pain, Kevin's calls for help finally attracted a passerby who alerts police and EMS more than two hours after he'd become trapped.

By Monday afternoon Williams was back home, recovering, with 16 stitches in his left leg.

"Both my feet still have no feeling in them. They feel numb because all the blood hasn't got back into my feet right now," he explained.

Kevin says doctors told him they don't believe he's got any permanent damage.

In the meantime, Kevin has between ten days and two weeks of recovery ahead of him.

He says other family members will pitch in to do his route until he's able to return to the job he's held for almost 10 years now.

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A routine delivery run for a Fayetteville, North Carolina newspaper carrier turned into a harrowing ordeal. Kevin Williams became impaled on a wrought iron fence for over 2 hours; hanging upside down more than six feet in the air. It began when he tossed a bundle of papers over a locked wrought iron gate on Old Street about 3 in the morning. After he did that, he realized he'd tossed the wrong bundle of papers to the wrong customer. Those papers were supposed to go to the branch library. "If I didn't get the papers, I was going to be short five customers," Kevin explained. His desire to keep his customers happy, while completing his route on time lead to the decision climb the gate. He figured it would only take a minute or two. "I lost my balance and at first I thought it was my pants leg hanging up because I wasn't bleeding at the time," said Kevin. It turned out that 51-year-old Kevin had impaled his calf and was hanging upside down. "I was suspended in mid-air about a foot from the ground," Kevin added. After about an hour, Kevin says he was able to free his impaled left foot from the fence and he thought he'd be ok. But then, things got worse. "In the process of freeing my left leg my sneaker got caught and my other leg got twisted upon the fence," he said. Now, Kevin admitted had one thought rolling over and over in his head. "I was thinking I should have left the papers because I didn't want to die like this.'' Weak from loss of blood, in great pain, Kevin's calls for help finally attracted a passerby who alerts police and EMS more than two hours after he'd become trapped. By Monday afternoon Williams was back home, recovering, with 16 stitches in his left leg. "Both my feet still have no feeling in them. They feel numb because all the blood hasn't got back into my feet right now," he explained. Kevin says doctors told him they don't believe he's got any permanent damage. In the meantime, Kevin has between ten days and two weeks of recovery ahead of him. He says other family members will pitch in to do his route until he's able to return to the job he's held for almost 10 years now.