ST. GEORGE — A woman was flown to the hospital Friday afternoon after suffering a partial amputation of her hand while working on a hay farm in rural Iron County.
Iron County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the incident at approximately 3:15 p.m. at Green Prairie International in Beryl Junction.
The woman, who is in her late 30s, was operating a hay compacting machine producing small bales intended for birds and small animals, such as guinea pigs.
“While loading the machine, she didn’t remove her hand completely prior to switching the compaction and caught her left arm from the wrist down in the compactor, causing a partial amputation of her hand,” Iron County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Humphries said.
Coworkers immediately called emergency services and helped the woman with preliminary care as medical personnel from Gold Cross Ambulance were in route.
“The staff at the facility did very well,” Humphries said. “They controlled the bleeding and placed a tourniquet on it prior to medical arriving.”
Due to the nature of her injury, a crew from Intermountain Life Flight was called to the scene to transport her by air to the hospital for specialized treatment.
“With any type of amputation, we’re going to send the patient to Las Vegas or Salt Lake because the neurosurgeons are there,” Humphries said, noting that the woman’s injury was serious but not life-threatening.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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