A Jersey City man insists a bizarre construction accident set him on the path to a drug-free life.

Richard Goetschius said he was working under a ladder at a construction site in Livingston three years ago when the accident occurred. When Goetschius stood up, his head hit a nail gun and it fired a nail into his brain.

?The type of nail that was shot into my brain is a barbed nail,? Goetschius said. ?It?s truly a miracle that none of these barbs or the nail struck a blood vessel.?

Goetschius has a scar but suffered no brain damage from the incident. He currently works as a counselor at the Salvation Army and speaks at 12-step programs.

?I?m a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. This was my spiritual awakening,? Goetschius said.