Barber critically injured falling on scissors speaks after open heart surgery

BOSTON — The Boston barber critically injured after falling on scissors last Friday recalled the terrifying ordeal while recovering from open heart surgery.

Surveillance cameras inside Boston Barber Company on Beacon Hill captured Steve Silva, 29, trip and fall while cutting a client’s hair.

As Silva fell to the ground, the shears pierced his chest cavity, punctured a major artery and narrowly missed his heart, he told Boston 25 News from his room at Massachusetts General Hospital Wednesday.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I was like, ‘Max, I think I just stabbed myself, dude,’” Silva recalled telling his client as he lay injured on the ground. “I could feel my breathing starting to constrict a little bit. And there was a deep, like, heaviness in the left side. And I’m like, ‘Oh, man. This is not good.’”

Silva’s coworker, Sarah Santiago, rushed to his aid, quickly applying pressure to his wound and calming him down as blood pooled around him. Silva’s client assisted Santiago, as another coworker called 911.

First responders told Silva they believe Santiago’s quick actions saved his life.

“She came out of left field, and she went right to work and helped me,” Silva said.

Paramedics treated Silva at the barbershop and took him to the hospital where he underwent surgery.

“One of the first things that popped in my head when I realized I was going in the ambulance, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God. I’m going to die,’” Silva said.

As Silva recovered in the intensive care unit, doctors told him, had the scissors pierced any deeper, he likely would have died.

“I feel lucky. Really lucky,” Silva said. “I’m lucky I had the people there who helped me. I am lucky I was right next to a hospital.”

Silva, who has worked at the barbershop for four years, is anxious to get back to work, despite his coworkers’ advice.

“They’re like, ‘Dude, you just need to chill,’” Silva said. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, all right. I’ll see you next week.’”

Silva was laid off for part of last year due to the pandemic. His friends and community members have raised more than $20,000 through a GoFundMe account to help cover his medical expenses.

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