Doctor Rob Carson saves Nicholas Rossi's life by drilling into his brain

A COUNTRY doctor has saved the life of a dying 12-year-old boy by using a household drill to bore into his brain after the boy had a bike accident.

The emergency "operation", by local GP Rob Carson in the Victorian country town of Maryborough, was yesterday hailed by a leading neurosurgeon as "one of the gutsiest life-saving efforts imaginable".

The drama happened late last Friday when Nicholas Rossi fell off his bike while riding in a quiet cul de sac outside a friend's house.

Nicholas was not wearing a helmet and the impact of his head hitting the pavement knocked him momentarily unconscious.

"He was a bit delirious at first, but then he stood up and said he was fine,

The boy had fractured his skull and torn a tiny artery between the bone and the brain just above his ear. This created internal bleeding that became trapped between his skull and brain and formed into a huge blood clot, placing pressure on the brain.