Dazed Worker Found Clutching His Severed Arm Saved In Maine

An injured man who was found clutching his severed arm was saved by two public workers trained in the use of tourniquets in Maine on Friday, Jan. 21.

On early Friday, shortly after 9 a.m, a man was reportedly seen stumbling along Maple Street carrying his severed arm, which had been gruesomely cut off near his shoulder. Two public workers, identified as Cam Bernard and Bob Olsen, who were in the area saw the injured man and stopped by to help, Daily News reported.

Olsen and Bernard knew how to apply tourniquets and reportedly did so for the unidentified man while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The man is believed to have lost his arm in a work accident at AK Market, a general merchandise store at 280 Park Street. The man's arm was reportedly cut off by a band saw, an instrument whose blade is positioned between two wheels and is generally used to cut metal.

The officers who arrived at the scene at about 9:20 a.m. followed a trail of blood from Maple Street back to the business, where several people revealed that the victim had been operating a band saw.

The victim was immediately rushed to Central Maine Medical Center where he went into surgery. Police are still working to identify the seriously injured man. Even though the victim is expected to survive, it is unclear whether surgeons were able to reattach his arm.

Since the incident was a workplace accident, of icers called for assistance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. An investigation into the incident is reportedly underway, the Daily Mail reported.

Meanwhile, police officials praised the actions of the public workers, with Lieutenant Derek St. Laurent applauding the two Good Samaritans, saying that they “probably saved [the victim's] life.”

Mary Ann Brenchick, who serves as the director of Lewiston Public Works, said the two workers who came to the aid of the victim, Cam Bernard, and Bob Olsen, are both arborists trained in the use of tourniquets.

“It had to be divine intervention,” she said, “because two of my best guys just happened to be there sanding sidewalks. It couldn’t have been better guys for this kind of situation. I really hope it made a difference for that guy.”