Man’s Arms, Severed by Gravel Crusher, Are Reattached During 11 Hours of Surgery : Surgeons Reattach Man’s Arms, Cut Off by Gravel Crusher

A construction worker whose arms were severed by a gravel crusher was in critical but stable condition Thursday after an 11-hour operation to reattach the limbs.

Blood circulation was restored to the arms of Jay Moser, 27, of Webster, Wis., but it was too early to tell whether the surgery was a success, a spokeswoman at North Memorial Medical Center said.

“The success of the surgery can be measured better in about 10 days,” the spokeswoman said. “It will take about two years to determine whether there will be movement and function.”

Moser, who is married and the father of two children, suffered the loss of both arms Wednesday when lubricating a drive belt on the crusher in a gravel pit in Burnett County, Wis.