Glass was lodged in crash victim’s face for 30 years
7:55am Tuesday 7th July 2009 in News
GLASS CHIN: Thomas Entwistle, of Halliwell, with the piece of glass that was lodged in his chin for 30 years
FOR decades, Thomas Entwistle thought a small lump on his chin was a harmless cyst.
It was not painful and did not cause any discomfort, so for years he ignored it.
But, after a shaving accident on Saturday morning, the father-of-three was shocked to discover all was not as it seemed.
For inside the lump was part of the windscreen from a Ford Cortina Mark I that Mr Entwistle was thrown through in a car crash 30 years ago.
Mr Entwistle, aged 52, from Halliwell, said: “I had no idea what it was and I certainly never expected it to be part of a Ford Cortina windscreen. It has always just been there and has never caused me any problems until a couple of weeks ago, when I noticed it had moved further down my chin.”
After nicking it whilst shaving a week ago, the lump became infected and Mr Entwistle went to see his doctor, who gave him some antibiotics and made an appointment at the Royal Bolton Hospital for a blood test this week.
Mr Entwistle said: “I was shaving again on Saturday morning when I took the top off the lump and could feel something hard in there. I got a wet wipe and squeezed the lump and out popped a piece of glass.
“It’s amazing to think that it has been lodged in my face for the last 30 years and I have been dismissing it as a cyst.”
The piece of glass was around 1cm square.
Dr Binoj Nair, from the SameDayDoctor clinic in Manchester, said embedded objects in the body are not rare.
He said: “The person is usually aware that an object is there and either removes it themselves or goes to the doctor.
“If a person isn’t aware then there is normally nothing to worry about, although an infection can occur in a small number of cases.”
Mr Entwistle was travelling in the Cortina when it was involved in a head-on crash in Edgworth, sending him flying through the windscreen and knocking him unconscious.
He said: “I wasn’t that badly injured, but I guess it could have been a lot worse.
“I don’t really remember much apart from waking up in the Royal Blackburn Hospital. They patched me up and sent me on my way.
“I guess I was quite lucky. I wasn’t badly injured and I am going to put the glass on my lottery ticket to see if it brings me any luck on Saturday.”
