http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6675209%5E911,00.html
Miner cuts off arm rather that wait for help
By VIVA GOLDNER in Sydney
30jun03
TRAPPED beneath a loaded tractor in a coal mine shaft deep underground, Colin Jones made an extraordinary decision.
Rather than endure the wait for his imminent rescue, the miner cut off his own arm with a Stanley knife.
As rescuers approached to free him, Mr Jones, 43, began his self-amputation.
Mr Jones became trapped when the tractor he was driving at the West Wallsend Colliery at Killingworth, NSW, overturned in a tunnel 3km underground.
His right arm was pinned against a wall by the rollbar of the side-driven machine, which was carrying four tonnes of limedust.
Police and witnesses were at a loss to explain why Mr Jones severed his arm when it had been made clear to him help was nearby.
Workmate Laurie Mason saw the accident and rushed over but before he could reach him Mr Jones took a Stanley knife from his pocket and severed his crushed arm below the elbow.
Police speculated a state of delirium may have influenced Mr Jones' decision to amputate his arm.
They described the drastic measure as "inexplicable". Fellow miners were in shock yesterday at the accident.
"After it happened, he yelled out to the other fellow down there,`cut my arm off, cut my arm off'," an employee said.
"He replied, `I don't think I can' and by the time he got over there Colin had got his Stanley knife from his pocket and cut off his arm."
Mr Mason placed the severed limb in a plastic bag and applied a tourniquet to the injury, then Mr Jones walked up two flights of stairs to reach a lift.
A spokeswoman for the mine said Mr Jones' arm was already virtually severed from the impact.
"It was three-quarters severed anyway, all that was left was tissue," West Wallsend Colliery spokeswoman Jenny Ward said.
"But he was trapped and couldn't get out of the cabin unless his arm was removed.
"He asked his workmates whether they could remove his arm and they said no, so he did it himself."
Workmates of Mr Jones said he was a popular man who lived alone in the small Hunter Valley mining town.
"Everyone is upset by this. It's a dangerous area to work in but you don't expect it to happen," one worker said.
"Colin has been a coalminer there for over 15 years. He's very social and likes a drink."Mr Jones was in a stable condition last night at the John Hunter Hospital, where a spokesman confirmed the arm would not be reattached.
His mother, Beth Jones, said her son was struggling to contend with what happened.
"He is in shock and in and out with all the painkillers but . . . comfortable," she said.
"He hasn't told us anything about what happened there or why he did what he did."
Initial hopes that the limb could be saved were quashed by doctors, a Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union spokesman said.
"They were unable to save his arm because of the extent of the crush injuries," NSW northern district check inspector Les Yates said.
Mr Jones' plight is similar to that of American Aron Ralston, who amputated his arm on April 26 after it became pinned under a boulder in a remote Utah canyon.
Mr Ralston, 27, an avid outdoorsman, spent five days trapped in the metre-wide canyon near Canyonlands National Park.
Mr Ralston became pinned as he scrambled over three boulders wedged into a narrow canyon. One of the boulders, weighing an estimated 360kg, rolled as he climbed over it and his right arm was trapped against a cliff face.
He tried chipping away with the knife at the boulder and the cliff, and tried to rig a way to lift the boulder off himself with climbing gear to no avail.
He decided to sacrifice his arm to save his life after going through most of his three litres of water and his food.
Using his pocketknife, he took an hour to amputate his arm below the elbow before applying a tourniquet and administering first-aid. He then rappelled to the canyon floor, hiked downstream and was spotted by a helicopter.
Miner cuts off arm rather that wait for help
By VIVA GOLDNER in Sydney
30jun03
TRAPPED beneath a loaded tractor in a coal mine shaft deep underground, Colin Jones made an extraordinary decision.
Rather than endure the wait for his imminent rescue, the miner cut off his own arm with a Stanley knife.
As rescuers approached to free him, Mr Jones, 43, began his self-amputation.
Mr Jones became trapped when the tractor he was driving at the West Wallsend Colliery at Killingworth, NSW, overturned in a tunnel 3km underground.
His right arm was pinned against a wall by the rollbar of the side-driven machine, which was carrying four tonnes of limedust.
Police and witnesses were at a loss to explain why Mr Jones severed his arm when it had been made clear to him help was nearby.
Workmate Laurie Mason saw the accident and rushed over but before he could reach him Mr Jones took a Stanley knife from his pocket and severed his crushed arm below the elbow.
Police speculated a state of delirium may have influenced Mr Jones' decision to amputate his arm.
They described the drastic measure as "inexplicable". Fellow miners were in shock yesterday at the accident.
"After it happened, he yelled out to the other fellow down there,`cut my arm off, cut my arm off'," an employee said.
"He replied, `I don't think I can' and by the time he got over there Colin had got his Stanley knife from his pocket and cut off his arm."
Mr Mason placed the severed limb in a plastic bag and applied a tourniquet to the injury, then Mr Jones walked up two flights of stairs to reach a lift.
A spokeswoman for the mine said Mr Jones' arm was already virtually severed from the impact.
"It was three-quarters severed anyway, all that was left was tissue," West Wallsend Colliery spokeswoman Jenny Ward said.
"But he was trapped and couldn't get out of the cabin unless his arm was removed.
"He asked his workmates whether they could remove his arm and they said no, so he did it himself."
Workmates of Mr Jones said he was a popular man who lived alone in the small Hunter Valley mining town.
"Everyone is upset by this. It's a dangerous area to work in but you don't expect it to happen," one worker said.
"Colin has been a coalminer there for over 15 years. He's very social and likes a drink."Mr Jones was in a stable condition last night at the John Hunter Hospital, where a spokesman confirmed the arm would not be reattached.
His mother, Beth Jones, said her son was struggling to contend with what happened.
"He is in shock and in and out with all the painkillers but . . . comfortable," she said.
"He hasn't told us anything about what happened there or why he did what he did."
Initial hopes that the limb could be saved were quashed by doctors, a Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union spokesman said.
"They were unable to save his arm because of the extent of the crush injuries," NSW northern district check inspector Les Yates said.
Mr Jones' plight is similar to that of American Aron Ralston, who amputated his arm on April 26 after it became pinned under a boulder in a remote Utah canyon.
Mr Ralston, 27, an avid outdoorsman, spent five days trapped in the metre-wide canyon near Canyonlands National Park.
Mr Ralston became pinned as he scrambled over three boulders wedged into a narrow canyon. One of the boulders, weighing an estimated 360kg, rolled as he climbed over it and his right arm was trapped against a cliff face.
He tried chipping away with the knife at the boulder and the cliff, and tried to rig a way to lift the boulder off himself with climbing gear to no avail.
He decided to sacrifice his arm to save his life after going through most of his three litres of water and his food.
Using his pocketknife, he took an hour to amputate his arm below the elbow before applying a tourniquet and administering first-aid. He then rappelled to the canyon floor, hiked downstream and was spotted by a helicopter.
