BALLARAT, AUSTRALIA — Bill Singleton sawed his face in half and lived to tell the tale.

On May 6, the 68-year-old Australian was at his property, trimming some branches off a shrub when the chainsaw he was using accidentally bumped a tree trunk and suddenly kicked back. Before he knew it, the chainsaw had ripped across his face, and through his bottom jaw. Singleton wasn’t able to call for help because he’d sliced off half his tongue in the process.

Bleeding profusely, he quickly wrapped a towel around his head to keep his face intact, and jumped in his SUV, driving 25 kilometers to the nearest medical center. When he arrived at the hospital, doctors initially thought he’d suffered a gunshot wound to the face.

Stitching up his wounds that ran as far back as his wisdom teeth, surgeons found Singleton missed his carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain, by a single centimeter.

Now back home and recovering, Singleton won’t be able to eat solid foods until he can get replacement front teeth a year from now.