LUKE White called it "hazards of the trade" but he is grateful he was wearing his trusty Akubra when he was hit in the head by a piece of railway line.

The Mount Isa local and his two sons were finishing building a fence on a property across the Bilpa Morea Claypan on December 16 when the metal pole snapped and struck him on the head.

He said he was thankful to his sons for being there and to the guardian angel watching over him that day.

"I don't feel lucky, I feel blessed," he said. "My younger boy, Dan, he rushed to my side, put pressure on the bleeding and said a prayer."

Whether the 16-year-old's strong hands or the prayer helped is unknown but wearing his Akubra, Mr White was told, definitely softened the blow and may be the reason he is still with his family today.

For him it is just another memory he has shared with his favourite hat.

"I wear the Akubra every day, always have, I would wear it in the shower if I could, I even wore it when I got married," he said.

Matthew White was also on the job with his dad that day. He said it was a confronting series of events that they did not think was going to end well.

"I was on the bike when I saw the railway line fly through the air and hit dad," he said. "The weirdest thing was he didn't make a sound, he didn't yell out at all.

"When I got to him he was just lying there with his eyes open, not moving. I thought he was dead."

The 17-year-old said he called for help while his younger brother tended to their dad.

Mr White says he can't remember much about the accident. "I remember I was speaking to my wife on the phone, then the next thing they were taking me to the clinic," he said.

"We didn't put the railway line into the ground, I didn't know it was two pieces welded together, so had no idea that could happen. Accidents happen working out here, I guess it's the hazards of the trade."