Pole that impaled driver 'barely missed' man's heart, wife says

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A fence post that impaled a driver's body in a Montgomery County crash early Tuesday morning barely missed the man's heart, his wife told ABC13.

Jake Tabor's wife said he was the driver that crashed into a deer and wound up with a fence post piercing his abdominal area. Authorities said the crash happened north of the Willis city limits on Highway 75 in the Ada community around 4 a.m.

The 24-year-old father of two small girls was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet pickup and on his way to work when he hit the animal and ran off the road. That's when he crashed into a fence at a trailer sales company.

Firefighters from North Montgomery County Fire and New Waverly found the pickup tangled in the fence and a fence post that had gone completely through the man's body.

The man was able to call 911 himself, according to authorities.

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"He's advising he has a pole in his chest." Listen to emergency crews respond to freak accident.

Troopers believe the man may have passed out from the crash, but woke up to discover his terrible predicament. He managed to remain calm and make the call for help.

It took crews close to 30 minutes to free the man. He had to be transported to Conroe Regional Medical Center with part of the fence still in his body.

One of the responding firefighters told ABC13 it took skill and patience to pull the man out of the truck without causing further injury.

Tabor's wife told ABC13 that he remains in ICU, with more surgeries and steps to come after the crash.

"We still ask for prayers," she said Tuesday afternoon.

In the most recent report from TxDOT, more than 8,800 crashes in the state involved wild animals on the road in 2018. 125 of those caused serious injuries, including 12 crashes that were fatal.

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A GoFundMe account has been created to help Tabor with medical expenses.

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