Saw-horror fireman faces anxious wait

Date published: 22 March 2012


A former fireman is facing an anxious wait to find out if his body will accept or reject his severed arm, reattached after an horrific accident with a circular saw.

Father–of–four Stuart Frain, 50, was cutting wood in the garden of his Rochdale home when the blade severed his left arm below the elbow and left it hanging by the skin.

Rather than panicking, he cradled the severed limb and went into the street to look for help.

Luckily, he found a man walking his dog and used its leash as a tourniquet to stem the heavy blood flow.

He was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital then to Wythenshawe Hospital surgeons spent seven hours reattaching the arm.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Frain said: “When I arrived at Oldham they said that I’d probably only been about 90 seconds away from death.

“Now we’re just waiting to see if my body will keep or reject the arm.”

He said his first-aid training from 30 years’ front-line experience in the fire service had helped him react quickly.

“The medical staff say I saved my own life by doing what I did.”

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