An Indian construction worker who was speared by an iron rod through his abdomen is improving daily, Central European News (CEN) reported. Santosh Nayak, 40, plunged from the building he was working on in Bhubanewswar and landed face down on a 6-foot iron rod.

Nayak was rushed to the hospital, where doctors determined the rod had ruptured his liver, diaphragm and one lung, CEN reported. It took doctors two hours to remove the rod, after which they repaired the damaged organs.

“It was race against time to save the life of the patient, who had come to the hospital with severe injury with a steel rod sticking out from his chest on [his] right side,” Dr. Debashish Nayak told CEN. “The success can be attributed to the speed and teamwork by all departments and staff concerned.”

The hospital recently removed a rod from another construction worker’s skull.