A South Florida man's arm was severed in an industrial accident at a construction site Thursday, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The 44-year-old worker, whose name has not been released, was using an industrial auger at a site in Hillsboro Beach when his right arm was trapped in the drill, WTVJ reported, citing Broward County Fire Rescue officials. The man's arm was severed at the shoulder, the television station reported.
Augers are machines that bore holes into the ground, the Miami Herald reported.
“Miraculously, the patient was conscious and in stable condition after the traumatic incident,” Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane said in a news release.
Kane said the quick response of Hillsboro Beach police Sgt. Andrew Kirchoffa helped save the man's life. Kirchoffa applied a tourniquet and stayed with the injured man until paramedics arrived, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Kane said surgeons are working to reattach the man’s arm, the newspaper reported.
“It is most fortunate that in this particular incident, Sgt. Kirchoff, who is our department’s CPR and first aid instructor, was first on scene,” Hillsboro police Maj. Robert O’Neill told the newspaper.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident, O'Neill told the Sun-Sentinel.
Dynatech Engineering, the company that was digging the holes, has not commented about the incident yet, WPLG reported.
A worker from a nearby construction zone said he was not shocked by the incident.
"You can never tell them to be careful enough, make sure they have their hard hats, their glasses," Guy Paterra told WPLG. "Hopefully they can fix him back up and he will be OK. It is a hell of a Christmas present for whoever and his family, but it is what we do for a living."
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