Man in coma after Champagne bottle explodes between legs

A Danish man has been left in a coma after a bottle of Champagne exploded between his legs as he tried to open it.

The man was put into an induced coma after a shard of glass cut through an artery causing significant blood loss

The man was injured on New Year’s Eve when a bottle exploded between his legs and a shattered shard of glass cut through an artery in his leg, causing him significant loss of blood, as reported by The Local.

The man was taken to Copenhagen Rigshospitalet, one of the largest hospital’s in Denmark and put into an induced coma, and was reported to have been in a “critical condition” as of Tuesday morning.

While Champagne-related injuries are rare, they are most commonly caused by dislodging of a cork at high speed rather than shattered glass.

Opthalmologists in particular often warn of the risk of eye injuries around the festive period caused by flying corks.

Champagne bottles contain pressure as high as 90 pounds per square inch – more than the pressure found inside a typical car tire.

This pressure can launch a Champagne cork at 50 miles per hour as it leaves the bottle, which is fast enough to shatter glass, and potentially permanently damage vision.

In 2015 tennis player Novak Djokovic hit himself in the face with a cork after winning the Italian open, while in 2014 an Italian council official caused €1,000 of damage after a cork shot through an 18th-century Italian oil painting.

Less common is a bottle itself actually shattering, which is usually due to a fault with the glass.

In 2015 The Wine Society issued a full recall of one of its Prosecco brands after reports of five bottles spontaneously shattering.