Trapped Under Furnace for Days, Connecticut Man Attempts Self Amputation
A 31-year-old Connecticut man, Jonathan Metz, was alone working on his basement furnace when his arm became stuck. After being trapped for two days his arm reached a "gangrenous state," so he tried to cut it off with several tools.
One of Metz's friends, concerned after he missed a softball game, called police and firefighters to Metz's house where they found him in the basement and finished cutting off the arm. Metz, now recovering in a hospital, told doctors he had been going in and out of consciousness for two days when he noticed his arm was starting to smell and decided to cut it off. He nearly completed the amputation himself just below the shoulder on his left arm but was unable to finish, leaving only some fat. Dr. Scott Ellner told the Hartford Courant, "It was the right thing to do. This man saved his own life." Ellner told CNN, "His arm was dying and once that happens, you release toxins and he did mention the smell so he knew something wasn't right." Doctors didn't elaborate, but said Metz had been repairing the furnace in a low position on the floor and became stuck. Damn.
