SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – South Brunswick firefighters rescued a worker whose hand was trapped in a machine at a local pet store Thursday, the fire department said.
Just after 6 p.m. on Thursday, first responders arrived at Loving Pets on Melrich Road to find a 54-year-old woman employee with her hand trapped in a machine, authorities said.
The employee's forearm was impaled and trapped in a machine in the production area. The woman was standing on a portable stair when she put her arm into the top of the machine, to clear material when a rotating bar moved and impaled her through the forearm, authorities said.
EMTs and paramedics stabilized the woman, while firefighters worked to free her arm. Firefighters first secured the power, then used hand tools to disassemble the section of the machine where the woman's arm was trapped. After disabling the rotating bar, firefighters used several different powered cutters to remove the bar from the machine to free the worker.
The entire rescue took approximately 45 minutes. EMTs and firefighters placed the employee on a backboard to lower her from the stairs. EMT then placed her on a stretcher and packaged her arm before taking her to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where the mixing bar that impaled her arm could be safely removed.
"This was a challenging rescue for first responders. The worker was in an elevated position, so firefighters had to work from ladders to access the top of the machine where her arm was trapped," Monmouth Junction Fire Chief Scott Smith said.
"Due to the construction of the machine and limited access, we had to develop several plans and use a number of different manual and powered tools to free her arm. Everyone did a great job under tough conditions."
The Monmouth Junction Fire Department, Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad, and South Brunswick Police worked on the rescue.
Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.