Man chops off own arm with chainsaw,neighbor saves it with bag of frozen sausage

[A Midnight Dreary]

It was lucky Steve Francis was at home doing the decorating.

Answering a knock at the door, Mr Francis saw his neighbour John Stirling standing there  -  minus his left arm.

Mr Stirling, a keen gardener, had been trimming a tree with his chainsaw when he slipped and sliced through the limb below the elbow.

Staggering to Mr Francis's home, he calmly knocked on his door and said: 'Please help, I've just cut my arm off.'

'He wasn't screaming, he was as relaxed as can be,' said Mr Francis yesterday.

'I didn't realise anything was wrong until I looked down and saw his arm was missing. I ran inside to call the ambulance and he sat outside on a stool.

'I came out and tied his arm up with a belt and towel  -  the ambulance people talked me through it.

'But through it all he sat there talking away like it was normal. He's a brave man. I couldn't believe he didn't faint.

'When the ambulance came they put him on a stretcher and asked where the arm was.

'The paramedics were working on him so I went up the road and put it in a plastic Tesco shopping bag.

'I put it in another bag with frozen Cornish pasties in to keep it cold.'

The ambulance arrived at Mr Francis's house in Peacehaven, East Sussex, on Monday morning and took Mr Stirling, 59, to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton before he was transferred to the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex.

Mr Stirling, who is married with three grown-up children, had emergency on Monday night and the arm was reattached during a 14-hour operation.

He is now recovering at the hospital with the help of its reconstructive plastic surgery unit.

A hospital spokesman said: 'He is doing very well and is comfortable after what was very complicated surgery.

'The procedure to reattach his arm went very well and the medical team are pleased with the patient but it is still early days to say if the operation is a complete success.'

Last night Mr Stirling's son James, 25, said of the accident: 'This has come as a huge shock to our family. My mum is devastated. She hasn't eaten or slept since it happened.

'We really want to thank the neighbours so much for the help they gave my dad. Their first aid might well have saved his life.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1064602/Pictured-Gardener-chops-arm-chainsaw--neighbour-tries-save-putting-bag-frozen-sausage-rolls.html

[Chompin]

Did they save the sausage?

[HyperU2]

[quote author=A Midnight Dreary link=topic=16503.msg1023338#msg1023338 date=1222821018]


Mr Stirling, a keen gardener
[/quote]

My ass.

[sogs]

[quote author=HyperU2 link=topic=16503.msg1023613#msg1023613 date=1222832515]
My ass.
[/quote]

Mr. Stirling is your ass?

[misanthrope]

Dude, Cornish pasties are not the same thing as sausage rolls... stupid Daily Mail. Also, lolz, how stereotypically English. "Hello, it seems I've severed my arm. Could you help please, if it's not too much trouble? It's a tad painful."

I hope Mr Stirling makes an easy and swift recovery and his life goes back to relatively normal, poor guy. :|

[Karalicious]

stories about people cutting off limbs always make me queasy.

[vaga]

[quote author=Karalicious link=topic=16503.msg1024064#msg1024064 date=1222876318]
stories about people cutting off limbs always make me queasy.
[/quote]
nom nom

[Karalicious]

[quote author=vaga link=topic=16503.msg1024066#msg1024066 date=1222876351]
nom nom
[/quote] don't you nom nom me.