Farmer severs his own leg to escape farming accident
- 5 years ago
PENDER, NEBRASKA — A farmer in Nebraska had to amputate his own leg after it got trapped in farming equipment, ABC News reports.
Kurt Kaser told ABC News he was working all by himself on his farm, shifting grain into a bin using a mobile grain auger when suddenly the unthinkable happened.
Kaser explained that he had previously removed part of the safety screen covering the auger's hopper but he forgot that while shifting the grain.
As soon as Kaser stepped onto the machine, it grabbed him and started twisting his leg.
The Nebraskan farmer said the equipment started tearing away the skin, tissue and even muscle from his leg to the point where he was able to see his bone.
Kaser remembered he had a pocket knife with a 3 to 4 inch blade. He then used the knife to sever his leg eight inches below the knee.
The 63 year-old told ABC News he then got on his hands and knees and dragged himself across rock and gravel to his shed where he immediately contacted one of his sons.
They dialled 911 and soon a medical helicopter arrived onsite and swiftly took him to a trauma center 90 miles away.
This, however, isn't the first time Kaser has had his leg stuck in an auger. He told ABC News his right leg was injured by the machine just a few years ago.
Kaser spent three weeks undergoing rehabilitation at a hospital. According to WCSC-TV, he now hopes to get a prosthetic leg and get back to farming.
Kurt Kaser told ABC News he was working all by himself on his farm, shifting grain into a bin using a mobile grain auger when suddenly the unthinkable happened.
Kaser explained that he had previously removed part of the safety screen covering the auger's hopper but he forgot that while shifting the grain.
As soon as Kaser stepped onto the machine, it grabbed him and started twisting his leg.
The Nebraskan farmer said the equipment started tearing away the skin, tissue and even muscle from his leg to the point where he was able to see his bone.
Kaser remembered he had a pocket knife with a 3 to 4 inch blade. He then used the knife to sever his leg eight inches below the knee.
The 63 year-old told ABC News he then got on his hands and knees and dragged himself across rock and gravel to his shed where he immediately contacted one of his sons.
They dialled 911 and soon a medical helicopter arrived onsite and swiftly took him to a trauma center 90 miles away.
This, however, isn't the first time Kaser has had his leg stuck in an auger. He told ABC News his right leg was injured by the machine just a few years ago.
Kaser spent three weeks undergoing rehabilitation at a hospital. According to WCSC-TV, he now hopes to get a prosthetic leg and get back to farming.