Boy impaled in the neck by arrow, but survives

WEST MELBOURNE, Fla. -- A 7-year-old boy fell on an arrow and was impaled in the neck, narrowly missing his jugular vein, officials said.

The father of the boy, whose name was not released, drove him 30 miles to a fire station for help. The boy was hospitalized in stable condition after Thursday's accident and was expected to survive, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office said.

The boy fell while holding the arrow and playing in his backyard in rural central Florida, his father told paramedics.

After piercing his neck near the jugular vein, the arrow nearly passed all the way through to the boy's spine, said Lt. Dave Hover of the Brevard County Fire Rescue's Station where the boy went for emergency treatment.

Firefighters cut about 6 inches off the arrow so he could be flown to an Orlando hospital.