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A Las Vegas man who fell asleep driving his car in Las Vegas last year, crashing into a chain-link fence and had a pole impale through his head, was recently reunited with the doctor who saved his life, Fox 5 News reported.

When Andrew Linn first met Dr. Andrew Coates, an associate professor of surgery at University Medical Center, he was conscious – and trying to use his cell phone, which Coates said surprised him, considering he had a pole through his head.

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“It was amazing to see someone with a pipe through his face like that (who) is alive,” Coates said Tuesday. “Let alone someone who is awake and alert, and trying to communicate with us.”

Linn said his accident was a “humbling” experience – he realizes he could have died. He knows he is lucky to have come away from the accident with only scars, a few missing teeth and a destroyed palate.

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His wife, Melanie, said they are “blessed.”

Click here to read more on this story from Fox 5 News.