The Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane man’s right leg was surgically removed to free him from a stainless-steel auger at a grain mill.
The 29-year-old man was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center by helicopter shortly after his leg was removed Friday morning.
Spokane Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said amputating his leg was the last resort, but rescuers had little choice because the incident occurred six stories above the ground.
The Spokesman-Review reported that rescuers were called to the Purina Mill shortly before 7 a.m. and found the man stuck above a grain mill on an external catwalk.
A gondola attached to a crane ultimately was used to lift rescue personnel and surgeons to the scene.