‘I’ve just got to survive this’: Dad-of-two relives the horrifying moment his hand was SLICED OFF by farm machinery – before he drove himself to hospital
- A Perth farmer has scarified his hand to survive a horrific late-night machinery
- Gary Webster, from Ravensthorpe, lost his left hand in a horrific tractor accident
- He tried to free his hand from the tractor but lost two fingers on his right hand
- Alone, Mr Webster realised he needed to drive himself to the nearest hospital
A Perth farmer has relived the moment he lost a hand in a horrific industrial accident.
Gary Webster, from Ravensthorpe, on the south coast of Western Australia, lost most of his left hand and two fingers on the other after the tractor accident last week.
Speaking for the first time since his terrifying ordeal, Mr Webster said his hand became trapped when he was changing the seed bin at around 12.30am.
There was no one else around so the father-of-two knew he would have to free himself or risk bleeding out.
He managed to wrestle his arm out using a spanner but he amputated two other fingers in the process.
Mr Webster then drove himself to hospital 10 kilometres away from his home.
Gary Webster (pictured), from Ravensthorpe, on the south coast of Western Australia, lost most of his left hand and two fingers on the other after the tractor accident last week
‘I just forgot to turn the rollers off,’ Mr Webster told ABC News.
Mr Webster managed to free his trapped hand by unscrewing the cover of his seeder rig and releasing the rollers, but in doing so, he lost another two fingers.
‘I just made a decision then, I don’t care about my hand, I just got to survive this, so I just thought of my family,’ he said.
Mr Webster then drove himself to Raventhorpe Hospital, which is about 10 kilometres away.
His wife Bec and his kids were sleeping unaware that he had been in such a terrible accident.
Mr Webster said he was capable of driving due to ‘a lot of adrenaline’ blocking the pain.
After arriving at the hospital, he said staff were surprised that his car was a manual and not an automatic.
Mr Webster was rushed to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth for emergency surgery aboard a Royal Flying Doctor Service jet
Doctors at Fiona Stanley Hospital contacted Mr Webster’s wife to see if she could retrieve the missing fingers and hand, but by the time they reached Perth it was too late
Mr Webster was then rushed to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth for emergency surgery aboard a Royal Flying Doctor Service jet.
His surgeon, Tim Cooper, contacted Bec to see if she could retrieve the missing fingers and hand, but by the time they reached Perth – an hour away – it was too late.
The farmer said it didn’t cross his mind that he should have put his severed hand and fingers in his pocket, so they could be reattached later.
He said he ‘just sort of’ made the decision the limbs wouldn’t be any good.
Although doctors were unable to reattach the severed limbs, Mr Webster has credited his volunteer firefighter training for helping him get through the ordeal.
He said he is happy with the outcome and hopes he can have a prosthesis or bionic hand fitted after his wounds heal.
A fundraiser by the Raventhorpe community has since been set up for Mr Webster, who is now recovering in hospital, with locals calling him an ‘inspiration’.
‘This evening shows the respect and admiration that the community holds for Gary. He is an absolute marvel,’ Ravensthorpe Bush Fire Brigade chief Rod Daw said.