Youth has hand amputated at wrist after getting it caught in snow plow

Shouldn't the headline read, "youth has hand amputated at the wrist"! Whatever the headline though, it is a sad report. Hope he recovers soon, and is able to be fitted with a prosthetic hand.

Yes, quite right.

Terrible accident for sure.

Very unfortunate. Considering that this happened in a frigid environment, it is disappointing that the doctors were unable to reattach the severed limb. The damage done by the machine must have been too severe. And it is also too bad that a high school student so close to graduation was working menial labor at 2 in the morning on a school night.

Very sad news but why is a high school student working at 2:oo am thats crazy

Poor kid!

Yeah, be careful around snow blowers, even when it's off. The rotor has a spring system, and if that spring is sprung (even when off), it'll move the rotor.

So, what happened to his wrist?

18, working at 2am and a young part timer left alone with moving machinery. I hope this lads employer has enough insurance to pay for his care.

Why was this poor kid working at 2AM on a school night? I get paying for uni and the like but this is not good. Poor guy.

Poor guy. Not sure highschool kids should be using that kind of equipment, but I guess they need all the help they can get.

I feel bad for the kid--common accident (slipping) with terrible consequences.

JT: "Snow plow" or "snow thrower / blower"? A plow pushes snow and has no auger (think truck with blade on front). A thrower / blower lifts snow and throws it a short distance.

I am a university teacher and there are kids who work night hours in bars, izakaya, conbini, etc. They can barely function in class in the morning. Feel really sorry for this lad.

Many of my poor Chinese students here in Tokyo come in like zombies after working at ramen shops etc..all night and coming in without sleep to my classes.

****The rotor has a spring system, and if that spring is sprung (even when off), it'll move the rotor.

So, that's how? I was wondering how you can get your hand into the auger. Then , this spring system is an unsafe feature. My snow blower's auger won't turn unless someone actually close the handle bars and stops as soon as you let go.

18 years is not too young to handle machines. I was working on a metal lathe, etc in a machine shops in HS. Then, again, all of us had training on what to do, where to stand and definitely cannot has and loose clothing or long hair. And, all my fingers are still intact.

Poor kid indeed. It would be a shock to anyone, let alone an 18 year-old who is likely to develop insecurities of being an amputee.

shinhiyataFeb. 19, 2014 - 03:00PM JST

...it is disappointing that the doctors were unable to reattach the severed limb.

According to the article, the hand was not severed by the snow blower. It was amputated by the doctors.

Very disappointing that the doctors didn't try to save the hand. But not surprise for Japanese medicine.

ka_chanFEB. 20, 2014 - 05:34AM JST Very disappointing that the doctors didn't try to save the hand. But not surprise for Japanese medicine

You do not know how badly the hand was damaged, if the damage was severe it would've been impossible for anyone to save the hand. I do not know if you're a surgeon/doctor but you were not there to see the damage, so you can't really comment on doctors work in this case.

2am is definitely too late to be working whilst in high school, this accident may have been partly to lack of sleep plus the lack of sleep could have affected his school work. I hope for a speedy recovery for him.

Aren't there usually employment laws against minors working past 10pm?

lostrune2: Aren't there usually employment laws against minors working past 10pm?

The Japanese constitution prevents employers from hiring anyone under age 18 for work at night or for work involving more than 48 hours a week or eight hours a day, except under certain conditions. Night work is defined as between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Males over age 16 are allowed to work at night if they are working a shift system. Minors are also not allowed to be assigned any work which is dangerous or hazardous to health--for example, mining work, repairing machines that are in operation at the time of repair, or handling poison or explosives.

connorh93: 2am is definitely too late to be working whilst in high school, this accident may have been partly to lack of sleep plus the lack of sleep could have affected his school work. I hope for a speedy recovery for him.

While I'll grant you that 2 a.m. is late to be working the majority of Japanese students in their final year of school do next to nothing besides looking for a job or studying for university exams, which he'd have already taken.

My question is how he got his hand stuck in a snowplow. A snowplow pushes snow with a big flat or curved piece of metal attached to the front of a vehicle. There is no rotor for one's hand to get caught in. A snowblower has a rotor and can be quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing - Turn it off. Disengage the clutch. Remove the key, if there is one. Wait a good five to ten seconds to make sure the blades have stopped moving.

18 is certainly not too young to be using a snowblower but there is no safe age to use it if you haven't been trained and don't follow proper safety procedures. I feel bad for the poor guy and hope he'll be alright in spite of what he's just been through.

Cliffy, "18 years is not too young to handle machines."

Of course not, but proper supervision is required, as im sure you were in your high school machine shop. This lad clearly wasnt properly trained or supervised. There was no reason for him to be taking a close look at stuck machinery still under power. As Ambrosia points out, the first step is to isolate machinery from its power source.

Yes - a clean cut, in very cold weather should have ensured a successful reattachment, but it seems that the damage was very severe... very unlucky guy...