The 14-year-old boy whose head was impaled by a metal stake in a pre-Christmas accident at Beachlands has stabilised and is expected to make a full recovery.
The Auckland boy suffered a gruesome injury when a metal stake, left behind from a real estate sign, penetrated the top of his skull and lodged the depth of a ballpoint pen vertically into his head. The teenager was sitting looking at his phone while friends played "chicken" nearby - throwing the stake into the air and dodging out of the way - when things went horrendously wrong.
Emergency services used specialised cutting gear to lop off part of the stake before the boy was airlifted to Starship hospital in a critical condition and lucky to be alive.
The boy's mother, who the Weekend Herald has chosen not to name, says a full recovery is expected, though it may be months until he can return home.
"He is pretty much out of the risk zone and improves a little bit each day," she said. "Next step from here will be a rehabilitation centre. We're not sure how long it will be before he's able to go home, between weeks and months. He is expected to make a full recovery, but there isn't a timeframe, it's step by step.