A 3-month-old infant being cradled in his mother's arms was struck in the head with a nail that was fired from a nail gun in a nearby construction site, the Delta police chief said.

The boy was airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. His condition is not known.

Delta Police Chief Rich Bacher said the mother was visiting a home under construction when the accident occurred Wednesday night.

She was "not in extremely close proximity" to the construction workers when a nail fired from a pneumatic nailing gun struck a wooden board and ricocheted into the baby's head, Bacher said.

"We're still putting together the pieces, but this appears to be a very tragic accident," said Bacher.

Bacher said he does not know if it was a family who was doing a construction on their home or if the area is part of a new home development. The incident occurred in the 16000 block of 38th Road in Delta, Colo.

When paramedics arrived about 8:30 p.m. to the area, the nail was still inside the baby's head.The infant was rushed to Delta Memorial Hospital and then to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction so doctors could remove the nail.