Man watches his own HAND fly through the air after slicing it off with a power saw

A handyman sliced off his left hand with a power saw and watched it ‘fly through the air’ yet did not feel ‘any pain at all’. 

Ian Horsley, 61, from Rosemarket, Milford Haven, south Wales, was helping clear out an elderly woman’s shed in the area when the horrific accident happened. 

Ian Horsley, 61, a handyman from Rosemarket, Milford Haven, south Wales, sliced off his hand in a power chop saw (pictured) when he was clearing out an elderly woman’s shed

Mr Horsley was feeding material into a power chop saw, when his left hand clipped the blade. The saw sliced off his hand through the palm leaving only his thumb attached. 

Speaking of the incident, Mr Horsley said: ‘I just felt this thump and something flew in the air in front of me. 

‘When I looked down and saw it was my hand it was the most horrific sight. My world fell apart.’ 

He added: ‘I shouted to my friend and he ran off to his wife who was inside clearing the house. She gave me a pillow case which I wrapped around my hand.

‘We were going to call an ambulance but then decided to go in the car because I wasn’t sure if I could wait that long.

‘I picked up my hand and got in the car and we put my hand in the back seat.’

Mr Horsley and his friend drove 15 minutes to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Wales. 

An A&E hospital consultant arranged for him to be sent to the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery at Morriston Hospital in Swansea.     

Mr Horsley was taken in an ambulance to Morriston Hospital ‘in record time’ on Saturday 23 February. Luckily the roads were quiet while Wales’ rugby team took on England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. 

Mr Horsley sliced off his left hand when feeding materials through the power saw. Surgeons at Morriston Hospital in Swansea were able to sew the hand back on but were unable to save his little finger

Mr Horsley sliced off his left hand when feeding materials through the power saw. Surgeons at Morriston Hospital in Swansea were able to sew the hand back on but were unable to save his little finger

Preparations were made for surgery and 13 hours later Mr Horsley was on the ward with his hand re-attached, apart from his little finger.

Despite the shocking accident, Mr Horsley said: ‘Throughout all of this, I never felt any pain at all, and there was next to no blood which I can’t explain.’

‘On the journey to hospital I was a little bit in despair. The guy in the back of the ambulance was absolutely marvellous. He was explaining to me how it was not the end of the world and I had to be positive.

He added: ‘The plan was to take tendons from my leg and veins from my foot to repair my hand, but they did not need to in the end, and it was sewn back on.’

Six days later, Mr Horsley returned home to his wife Linda and 14-year-old daughter Cerys.  

He described it as a long and sometimes difficult road to recovery which included    many visits to the physiotherapy and occupational therapy departments at Morriston and Withybush hospitals.

‘I have still some way to go,’ he said. ‘It has been six months since the accident, I have some movement and every day there are improvements.

Mr Horsley added: ‘My hand is stiff but I do have movement in it. I’ve lost the small finger of my hand but it feels like a small price to pay. I’ve got full movement in my thumb and I can grip things.’

‘I’m starting to get the feeling back in my hand but there’s quite a lot of pain and I’m taking drugs to combat that. I’ll be having further operations to release the tendons and aid movement.’

Despite the shocking accident, Mr Horsley said: 'Throughout all of this, I never felt any pain at all, and there was next to no blood which I can't explain'

 Despite the shocking accident, Mr Horsley said: ‘Throughout all of this, I never felt any pain at all, and there was next to no blood which I can’t explain’ 

Mr Horsely, who has been a self-employed handyman for 40 years, is now unable to work following the accident. 

A power chop saw similar to the one Mr Horsley sliced off his land hand with.

A power chop saw similar to the one Mr Horsley sliced off his land hand with. 

He said: ‘Luckily enough I’ve been working for 40 years and have got a little bit of money behind me. 

‘I’ve got a positive outlook and my aim is to get back to work in some form. There may be some jobs I might not be able to do now but I have got a better outlook than at the time of the accident as I thought that was it.’ 

Mr Horsley added: ‘I am so grateful to my consultant and her team at Morriston and those who have cared for me at Withybush.

‘My experience of the NHS and the dedicated professionals that work for it is positive. They to me are heroes. 

He continued: ‘I hope no one has to experience complex trauma or severe burns, but should they do, then they could not be in better hands than the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery at Morriston.

‘The work they do is unbelievable. If this unit was further away the outcome may have been completely different.’

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