University Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona via AP

In this image provided by the University Medical Center in Tucson, a CT scan shows a pair of pruning shears embedded in the head of an 86-year-old Green Valley, Ariz., man before it was removed by Medical Center surgeons in Tucson on July 30, 2011. Leroy Luetscher was accidentally impaled through his eye socket after falling on the shears while working in his yard, the handle penetrating his eye socket and reaching down into his neck. He is expected to make a full recovery.

AP: TUCSON, Ariz. — Hospital officials say an 86-year-old Arizona man is lucky to be alive after he accidentally impaled himself with pruning shears.

University Medical Center said Monday that Leroy Luetscher of Green Valley was working in his yard on July 30 when he dropped a pair of pruning shears, which landed point-side down in the ground.

When Luetscher went to pick them up, he lost his balance and fell face-down on the handle. The handle penetrated his eye socket and went down into his neck, resting on the external carotid artery. Half the shears were left in his head, while the other half was sticking out.

Luetscher was rushed to the hospital, where surgeons removed the shears and rebuilt his orbital floor with metal mesh, saving his eye.

Doctors say Luetscher still has slight swelling in his eyelids and minor double vision but has otherwise recovered.

You might find the images hard to look at. In addition to the damage done to his face, he also lost his leg and fingers on one hand in the accident. These photos were taken in August, but they just moved on the wires today. I hope he gets the transplant.

WHDH-TV reports:

A 29-year-old Army veteran is the latest person to be approved for a face transplant in Boston.

Mitch Hunter saved a woman from a car crash by pushing her away from a live wire. But, Hunter was disfigured when he was shocked by 10,000 volts of electricity for five minutes.

When a donor becomes available, Hunter will fly from Indiana to Boston to have the operation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Hunter said the unfortunate thing is knowing a donor must pass away before he can have the surgery.

"That kind of does make me feel bad. I don't want to wait for someone to pass away for it all to happen. But if that person is willing to donate the skin to do it, then obviously that person has a good heart and wants someone else to have a better life," said Hunter.

Once Hunter gets that call, he may be in Boston for more than a year. But first a donor must be found and that search could take months.

Jennifer Cecil / The Indianapolis Star via AP

Mitch Hunter, right, shares the story of his car accident, at his home in Speedway, Indiana on Aug. 10, 2010. In 2001, Hunter was in a car accident and endured 10,000 volts of electricity from an electrical line that fell on top of the vehicle. Now is is a potential candidate for a face transplant.

Jennifer Cecil / The Indianapolis Star via AP

Mitch Hunter shows off his 4-month-old son, Clayton, at his home on Aug. 10, 2010.

Jennifer Cecil / The Indianapolis Star via AP

Mitch Hunter poses for a portrait in his home on Aug. 10, 2010.

More from the Indianapolis Star.