Man sneezes out bullet after being shot

Darco Sangermano, 28, was hit by a stray bullet in front of his shocked girlfriend as they celebrated New Year's Eve and he was immediately rushed to hospital.

While there and amazingly still conscious, labourer Darco sneezed out the .22 calibre bullet and told doctors that, apart from a strong headache, he felt no other pain.

The bullet entered the right side of his head, went through the muscle, broke the temporal bone, passed behind his eye through the socket, hit a bone in his nose and then lodged in his nostril before being sneezed out.

The incident happened in the southern city of Naples, which has a reputation for lively end-of-year celebrations involving revellers firing live ammunition.

Mr Sangermano was one of three people hit by bullets during festivities and one person was also killed after being hit by a stray round as he watched fireworks with his family in a suburb on the outskirts of the city.

After a check up, Mr Sangermano was discharged from hospital and allowed to return home to Turin with his girlfriend, where his doctor recommended surgery to check the wound.

Professor Sid Berrone carried out a "tidy up operation", at Turin's Molinette hospital, on his nose to remove the bone fragments. Mr Sangermano was then discharged.

Professor Berrone said:"He was a very lucky man, he could have been easily killed.

"The bullet went through his temple, behind his eye, entered the nasal cavity and then became lodged in his nostril before he sneezed it out. Amazing.

"He needed surgery just to clean up the wound and get rid of the bone fragments, but other than that he was fine and we expect him to make a full recovery, he won't even lose the sight of his eye"

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