The construction industry sees some of the most serious accidents that occur on the job. This is partly due to the dangerous equipment and tools construction workers use on a daily basis. While dealing with these tools of the trade the utmost caution must be used at all times, as one accidental slip can prove fatal.

Luckily for one North Texas construction worker, a slip with a nail gun was not fatal, even though it left the worker with a 4-inch nail lodged in his head. Fox News reported that the accident occurred last Friday when a coworker handed the victim a nail gun that accidently went off, firing a 4-inch, barbed nail into his brain.

Doctors said that the man's skull was able to stop the head of the nail from going any further into the man's brain "just like if it was fired into wood."

They said that the man underwent extremely risky surgery to remove the nail from his dominant lobe, as "a wrong move or a millimeter away here of there" could cause "a disastrous outcome," including death or paralysis.

The surgery ended up going smoothly and the construction worker is expected to make a full recovery, doctors said.

Serious accidents like this end up resulting in loads of medical bills that can end up causing almost as much stress as the injury itself. The worker will also be recovering for a period of time and will lose out on wages. This is where workers' compensation comes in.

Workers' compensation can help cover the medical bills and lost wages that result from injuries sustained on the job. Each state has its own workers' compensation system, and depending on the state, a worker may be obligated to report the injury to his employer and file certain forms within a restricted period of time in order to start receiving benefits.

Sometimes workers' compensation claims are disputed, but an attorney can help guide the injured worker through the administrative proceedings, judicial proceedings, and appeals, if necessary.

Source: Fox News, "Construction Worker Shot in Head with 4-Inch Nail Will Survive, Doctor Says," Aug. 14, 2011.