Man has hand reattached after 'horrific' machine accident

A man whose left hand was chopped off in a "horrific" industrial accident has had it reattached in an 11-hour operation.

Christopher Wright, 57, from Oswestry, Shropshire, was working at a machine when his hand was pulled inside.

"I heard a snap noise and I knew I had lost my hand," he said.

A surgeon at the Royal Derby Hospital said it was "very unusual to replant a whole hand" and added Mr Wright was "incredibly inspirational".

Mr Wright, a senior engineer, said his injury occurred on 10 February when he was working near a cardboard cartons machine at a factory in Wrexham.

"The chains grabbed my overalls and pulled my hand into the machine," he said.

"I grabbed my arm out, squeezed it and called for help."

Mr Wright was taken to the hospital's Pulvertaft Hand Centre by air ambulance.

The hospital said they were unable to save his little finger.

However, surgeons took 6cm (2.3in) from his arm "in order to create a smooth surface" for the reattachment.

"Miraculously, he now has his hand back and some movement in his fingers and thumb," the hospital said.

Mary O'Brien, the centre's consultant plastic and hand surgeon called Mr Wright "an incredibly inspirational patient".

"He has a very positive outlook and is motivated in the face of what has been a life-changing industrial injury," she said.

She added the procedure had been "extremely complex" and had involved five consultant surgeons.

"Although we look after many patients with a range of different types of injury, it is very unusual to replant a whole hand," she added.

Mr Wright said there were "no words" to express how thankful he was to the staff who had cared for him and supported his wife, Elaine.

Last year the centre helped a cobbler get back to work again after replacing a severed thumb with his big toe.

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