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The elderly Osvaldo Feitosa Leite, aged 78, suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit in the head by a chestnut hedgehog, on the morning of this Monday (22), in a rural property located at km 17 of Ramal Toco Preto, accessed via km 38 of BR-364, towards Sena Madureira/Bujari, in the interior of Acre.
With the impact, Osvaldo suffered a moderate head injury/ Photo: ContilNet
According to information provided by family members, Osvaldo had gone out in the morning to work collecting chestnuts on his property when he heard the hedgehog hitting one of the chestnut tree’s branches. When trying to protect himself, the elderly man ran close to the tree trunk, but the hedgehog changed direction when it hit the branch and ended up falling on his head, hitting his forehead.
As a result of the impact, Osvaldo suffered moderate head trauma and presented edema in his right eye. After the accident, he was unconscious, lying under the chestnut tree.
Family members were surprised by the elderly man’s absence at lunchtime and went to the wooded area, where they found him injured. He was initially taken to his residence, from where the Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu) was called. The team provided the first care, stabilized the victim’s clinical condition and removed him to the João Câncio Fernandes Hospital, in Sena Madureira.
He was initially taken to his residence, from where the Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu) was called/Photo: ContilNet
Due to the severity of the injury, Osvaldo was transferred to the Rio Branco Emergency Room, in a stable state of health, where he underwent CT scans and other complementary tests.
At this time of year, occurrences of this type are common, as residents of rural areas collect nuts. The hedgehog, which can weigh around two kilos, falls from the treetops at high speed, posing a serious risk and, in some cases, causing deaths among rural workers.
