A handyman is issuing a warning to all tradespeople to avoid wearing jewellery on the job, after his finger was torn off at work.
Dean Outlaw from the New South Wales Central Coast was packing up his ute on Friday afternoon when he slipped and his wedding ring became caught on a bolt.
“I was standing on the tie-down rack on the side of the tray and my foot slipped, and as I came down I just saw my finger go shooting up and over the top of the wheelbarrow,” Outlaw told 7NEWS.com.au.
The 50 year old said he was in a bit of pain and called out to his customer’s wife for a towel. He then called his wife who took him to hospital.
“She was the one who had to go through the back of the ute trying to find the finger,” he said. “So I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like for her.”
Outlaw remains in hospital, where his finger was sewn back on. Health workers are now trying to get sufficient blood flow back in the digit.
“The blood’s going in but not coming out,” he said.
To help circulation in his finger, hospital staff have used about 20-30 small leeches.
“It was just a freak accident,” he said. “It could’ve happened anytime, whether it was at work or on the weekend.”
Outlaw said it was his first time being injured on the job. He’s now advising others against wearing jewellery at work.
“Go for a tattoo or a silicon ring if you need to have something there,” he said.
Source: 7News
