SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A Utah hunter had a brush with death after accidentally stabbing himself in the neck with the antler of an elk he'd just killed, emergency responders said.
Bradley Greenwood, 51, had killed a large bull elk Saturday on Diamond Mountain, east of Vernal, Utah.
Greenwood said he tried to roll over the dead animal but it was heavier than he anticipated -- estimated at 600 to 700 pounds.
While trying to maneuver the carcass Greenwood managed to plunge the antler into his neck just below his jaw, The Salt Lake Tribune said. Greenwood called 911 and emergency responders found him with a swollen neck struggling to breathe.
Uintah County Undersheriff John Laursen said the injury was a freak accident that caused Greenwood's neck to swell.
"I can't picture how clean an elk horn would be," Laursen said. "I'm guessing there's some bacteria in there."
Paramedics put a tube down Greenwood's trachea to keep his airway open, treatment nurses at a hospital where Greenwood is now recovering said probably saved his life.
Greenwood was later transferred to Utah Valley Medical Center where he underwent surgery. As of Monday he was speaking without trouble and is expected to make a full recovery.
