Phineas Gage was an American railroad foreman who survived a severe brain injury in 1848 when a 13.25-pound iron rod was driven through his head, destroying much of his brains left frontal lobe. Gage survived the accident and was conscious and able to speak immediately afterward. He regained his physical strength and was able to return to work within a matter of months. However, his personality appears to have changed following the accident, causing his colleagues to state that he was “no longer Gage” . While some have described Gage as restless, disrespectful, and unreliable following the accident, the true extent of the personality changes he experienced are unknown. In 1852, Gage took a job in Chile, working as a stagecoach driver, having apparently either regained or maintained at least some social skills. Seven years later, in poor health, he moved to California to live with his mother and sister, where he died in 1860 at the age of 36 from epileptic seizures.