Metal Rod Lodged In Man's Head After Attack

A man is in a serious condition in hospital after a metal rod was speared in the side of his head during an attack as he parked his car.

Incredibly he was able to drive himself to a petrol station several hundred metres away after the assault to get help.

CCTV footage in New Zealand showed the 23-year-old man holding the bar by the tip as he walked in - and some customers and staff initially thought it was a prank.

The victim kept his cool and even asked staff to call police rather than an ambulance.

One unnamed witness said: "I was like, man, is this a TV show ... is this guy for real?

"It looked like a Halloween stunt ... but no, it was pretty real when he turned around and blood was coming down the side of his head."

Another witness, Dylan Shea, said: "The sharp part of the tyre iron was in his temple.

"He's real lucky, lucky that it didn't go any deeper. I don't think he realised he was so hurt. But as you can see he was pretty nasty."

Mr Shea added: "All my other mates were freaking out. I stayed reasonably calm but they don't really like that gory sort of stuff."

He said of the victim: "He was pretty calm, he wasn't freaking out or anything.

"He knew what had gone wrong and he said he knew his first aid and that so he didn't try to rip it out or anything."

Police said the victim had been punched in the head and hit with the steel pole in the street.

The rod has been removed and he is now in a serious but stable condition in Waikato Hospital, in the upper north island of the country.

Officers said they were making progress in their investigation and were talking to witnesses.