Boy imitating Spider-Man impales self in accident

INVERNESS, Fla. -- A 5-year-old boy impersonating Spider-Man crashed into a large statue of an elephant at his grandmother's home, impaling himself on a tusk. Hunter Helton was recovering Friday at home from the wound to his left hip. He was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital on Thursday after emergency workers became concerned the ivory tusk might have hit a bone or an artery.

Hunter had seen "Spider-Man 2" on its opening day Wednesday and was playing at his grandmother's home, imitating some of the superhero's moves.

But as he jumped around the den with his siblings and a cousin, the boy lost his balance and fell into a filing cabinet and then hit the heavy mahogany elephant his grandmother had purchased in Africa. Half the elephant's large ivory tusk broke off and got stuck in his body.

"It was horrifying," said Nikki Mitchell, Hunter's mother.

At the hospital, X-rays showed the tusk hadn't punctured anything serious. A surgeon was able to remove the object without surgery, instead cleaning the area and stitching it closed.

Doctors told Mitchell that Hunter was lucky the injuries weren't more serious.

Mitchell said she was proud of her son keeping his composure during the ordeal. He'll be rewarded with a "Spider-Man 2" video game.

"That was his motivation through it all," Mitchell said. "I'm like, whatever it takes."