There are many stories out there about foreign objects being left behind after patients have surgery. However, those stories pale in comparison to the story of one Granite City man.

In 1963, the now seventy-five-year-old man was in a horrific car accident while he was driving his brand new Thunderbird. The accident was so bad, it was originally reported as a fatality, according to the article on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website. Once he was transported to the hospital, doctors found the man had broken his hip, which was where they focused their attention.

Over time, his body healed, and he went on to get married and have children without any serious repercussions.

It wasn’t until he set off a metal detector, years later, that doctors discovered he had some type of slender object imbedded in his arm. They advised him to leave it alone, but eventually he started to feel pain. A surgical procedure revealed that it had actually been his turn signal lever. The lever was removed, more than fifty years after the original accident.

Unfortunately, it’s too late for this man to sue for medical negligence. However, this story is an important one for anyone who is suffering because of something that went wrong during a medical procedure. If you have suspicions about a procedure you had done recently, please contact a St. Louis medical malpractice attorney right away to discuss options.