Doctors Save Hands of Retiree Left Tied Up for 6 Days

A 72-year-old retiree who faced possible amputation of both hands after robbers left him tied on the floor of his Altadena home for six days will keep both limbs and probably regain at least partial function in his right hand, doctors said Tuesday.

James Farrell was in stable condition in the intensive care unit of an undisclosed hospital Tuesday after surgery Saturday to restore the blood flow to his hands, said Dr. Stefanie A. Feldman, one of the doctors who operated on him.

“His right hand is partially functional, but he still has no sensation in his left hand,” Feldman said. “Both hands will be saved, but their function, especially the function in the left hand, is in question.”

Farrell is lucid and able to talk to visitors, though he still has periods where he is not completely alert, Feldman said. Farrell is also recovering from severe dehydration.

Feldman said that Farrell accidentally worked the bonds around his wrists tighter as he tried to free himself, and his struggles caused swelling that further restricted blood flow to his hands. Additional surgery will be needed, she said.

Farrell was attacked the evening of May 7 as he returned to his home on Sacramento Street after dinner at a restaurant, sheriff’s deputies said. They said his assailants were three people who had broken into his home while he was away.

Investigators said that after beating Farrell and tying him up, the robbers ransacked the house, but it has not been determined whether anything was taken.

Because he lived alone, Farrell was not found until a worried friend, Vincent (Gene) Cusic, 77, looked in on him almost a week later. No arrests have been made.

“Something like this was bound to happen,” Cusic said. “There are just some mean people in this world. They see an advantage, and they take it.”