New Zealand truck driver Steven McCormack fell onto the nozzle of a tank of compressed air, inadvertently "inflating" himself through his butt. No, really; the air (compressed at 100 psi) forced its way into his skin:
"I felt the air rush into my body and I felt like it was going to explode from my foot," McCormack said.
"I was blowing up like a football... it felt like I had the bends — like in diving. I had no choice but just to lay there, blowing up like a balloon."
McCormack was screaming in agony, which should serve as a good reminder that stuff that works in cartoons doesn't really translate into real life. The air apparently "separated fat from muscle," swelling up his neck and head and causing one of his lungs to fill with fluid. The ambulance took an hour to arrive, but doctors got to him in time — he's recovering in the hospital now.
[Stuff.co.nz; image via Shutterstock]