Worker Saved After Arm Caught in Meat Grinder

Orland firefighters recently worked with Silver Cross Hospital doctors to save a man after his arm was caught in a meat grinder.

The Orland Fire Protection District were called Saturday about a worker whose hand was caught in a meat grinder, and extracting him without injuring him further would be lengthy and challenging on scene, according to a release from the district. Firefighter/paramedics on scene began taking apart the machinery around the grinder, in order to move the man to the hospital.

“The decision was made to transport the worker with his arm still in the grinder part of the machine to Silver Cross Hospital where doctors could assist the rescue team in the removal,” Orland Fire Chief Ken Brucki said in the release. “This was a first in the history of the Orland Fire Protection District.”

Once at the hospital, doctors determined that traditional surgery also wouldn’t work to save the man, given the machinery he was caught on, according to the release. Combining two disciplines, the man was released from the grinder by a firefighter using a smaller version of the Jaws of Life to cut away the machinery, under the emergency room doctors’ direction.

Brucki described it like a scene from a movie 

“The extrication lasted about 20 minutes and was successful,” Brucki said in the release. “The ER staff immediately took over care as the firefighters began to put their equipment back in service. This is another example of how well trained our Orland firefighters are to handle unique situations.”

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