Driver survives impalement through chest following car accident in Texas

Father of Texas motorist says two inch pole missed his son's heart.

By Ivan Pereira

February 23, 2020, 1:31 PM

Dramatic rescue of driver who crashed his car and became impaled on a pole

First responders rushed to the scene and got the father of two small girls to the hospital, saving his life.

A Texas man survived a nearly fatal car accident Tuesday that left a pole in his chest and has begun his long road to recovery, according to his family.

Mark Tabor told "Good Morning America" he considered his son Jake Tabor "a miracle baby," after the 25-year-old father of two came out of the car crash on Highway 75 near Shepard Hill Road alive. Jake Tabor, a pipefitter, dodged a deer, veered off the road and crashed into a metal fence, according to his father and the police.

Jake Tabor, 24, survived a crash where he was impaled in the chest by a fence pole. ABC News

Mark Tabor said his son called him after getting off the phone with 911 operators to tell him he was impaled by a fence pole and was likely not going to make it.

"He wanted to tell us ... that he loved us, and he wanted his girls to know that he loved them very much," Mark Tabor told "GMA."

Mark Tabor said he lost his elder son, Andrew, five weeks ago due to a heart condition.

"As soon as the call came in, my heart sank," he said. "I was afraid I was about to lose another son."

First responders worked to get Jake Tabor out of the car and remove the 2-inch pole from his chest. Mark Tabor said the pole went through his son’s side and missed the heart.

Doctors performed seven surgeries where they closed up Jake Tabor’s wounds, and as of Saturday night, he was breathing through a tube to help his lungs heal, according to his father. Mark Tabor said that his son has to undergo at least five more surgeries over the next year.

"He's got a long road to recovery. But we're here for him and we just want our son back," he said.

Mark Tabor said he and his son’s wife Savannah have visited him in the hospital several times and he is communicating with them through hand gestures. The couple’s two daughters are being kept abreast of his condition, the father said.

"[We] let them know that their daddy's getting better and that he loves them very much. And they can't wait to come up and see him," he said.

Mark Tabor said the family has received many donations from the community to help with the treatments and any other expense they will endure as he works to get back on his feet.

"We're grateful to God and all the prayers...and that this...didn't wind up the way it could've been," he said. "We're blessed."