According to a report from the Ocala Star-Banner, Zawojski, a 20-year-old painter, was doing prep work from a ladder at a residential jobsite when the ladder fell. The accident sent Zawojski falling backward before landing atop a partially constructed pillar of the two-story home.
A piece of rebar was protruding from the pillar and impaled Zawojski, passing through his back and chest, and stopping close to his neck, the paper reports.
Zawojski called for Dax Romine, a pastor and independent contractor also working at the site. As Romine approached, he saw the rebar protruding from Zawojski’s body and called 911. He then considered trying to lift Zawojski off of the rebar, but thought better of it. That’s when he remembered he had brought along his Milwaukee Hackzall to the site that day.
Romine told the paper that he typically would not have had the saw with him. He typically only a brings those tools along for dry wall and other work. He is only contracted to help with the painting of this home. “I really honestly believe that God provided that piece of tool in this case,” Romine said.
Romine said he cut “enough of the rebar so…doctors would have enough of the piece of metal to safely remove it from (Zawojski’s) body.”
Amazingly, thanks to a piece of Zawojski’s shirt ripping and entering the wound with the rebar, he didn’t lose a lot of blood during the ordeal.
Doctors tell the paper that the rebar somehow missed all of Zawojski’s vital organs, though it did collapse one of his lungs and damaged several ribs. The rebar came to rest just below his collar bone and two main blood vessels. He is expected to make a full recovery.
