Co-worker: He didn't say a word, he just cried

His screams reverberated around the factory floor.

They were so anguished and loud that they even jolted Chinese national Yan Wei Ming, 24, in the fishball factory's refrigerated room next door.

Rushing over to find out what had happened, he saw his colleague, Mr Sun Xiao Bo, 27, standing by the grinding machine with his head buried in his right arm.

Walking over, he saw a sight that made his blood turn cold - Mr Sun's left forearm was stuck in the grinder with blood dripping from it. The machine was still switched on.

His arm got stuck in the machine yesterday at about 8.25am, as Mr Sun, also a Chinese national, was grinding fish meat at Leong Hin Foods at 15, Woodlands Loop.

Another colleague called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which activated its Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Dart) .

A stunned Mr Yan told The New Paper that he immediately turned off the machine.

He said: "I didn't want to try to remove his arm as I was afraid I might do something wrong. We are not paramedics.

"I asked myself, 'How do I do this?'" Mr Yan said he tried to find a way to help Mr Sun, appealing to colleagues for assistance.

Mr Yan added: "He (Mr Sun) was sobbing.

I tried to comfort him, but he didn't say a word and just cried."

Another colleague, who declined to be named, said the sight was disturbing.

Said the 29-year-old Chinese national: "It looked like he may has lost four of his fingers. It was really scary."

The SCDF and the police arrived soon after, and all the workers were escorted out of the site.

An SCDF spokesman said: "The paramedics administered saline using an intravenous drip, and an oxygen mask to stabilise the patient's condition."

LOSING BLOOD

The two paramedics also monitored his vital signs, as he was losing a lot of blood.

Four SCDF officers sawed through the nuts and bolts to remove the grinder from its housing, as the victim's arm was stuck in it. This took about 20 minutes.

As the situation was serious, SCDF notified Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), and a doctor and nurse rushed over to assess the situation.

Said a hospital's spokesman: "The grinder machine was huge and the base could not be disassembled, hence the medical team immediately gave treatment on the spot, issuing painkiller to the patient."

At 9.30am, with a portion of the grinder still attached to his arm, Mr Sun was taken to KTPH.

A team comprising emergency and orthopaedics doctors, assessed his condition and treatment options further with a hand surgeon from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) before he was transferred to TTSH at 11am.

At TTSH, the Dart team worked with doctors to carefully dismantle the grinder, taking another 20 minutes.

In a statement yesterday, a TTSH spokesman confirmed that the patient was transferred to the hospital at 11.10am.

He said: "He was immediately seen to by our Hand and Microsurgery specialists. With assistance from Dart personnel, the grinder was successfully detached from his arm (while he was in the operating theatre).

"Unfortunately, due to the severity of his injuries, part of his left arm needed to be amputated."

The whole procedure, from dismantling the machine to the amputation, took three hours.

Mr Sun has been warded and is in stable condition.

transferred to TTSH at 11am. At TTSH, the Dart team worked with doctors to carefully dismantle the grinder, taking another 20 minutes.

In a statement yesterday, a TTSH spokesman confirmed that the patient was transferred to the hospital at 11.10am.

He said: "He was immediately seen to by our Hand and Microsurgery specialists. With assistance from Dart personnel, the grinder was successfully detached from his arm (while he was in the operating theatre).

"Unfortunately, due to the severity of his injuries, part of his left arm needed to be amputated."

The whole procedure, from dismantling the machine to the amputation, took three hours.

Mr Sun has been warded and is in stable condition.


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