One saw accident and one surgery later, man admires reattached thumb

The day likely began commonly enough for construction worker Patrick Smith. But what went wrong for Smith is perhaps too common.

We’ll let this Newport News Daily Press story explain: “A long-time construction worker, Smith was operating a 12-inch miter box saw on the afternoon of June 15 when he reached across it to grab the piece of wood. He saw the blade hit something but didn’t feel anything. ‘Generally when the blade comes down, the guard goes up. It didn’t work,’ ” he says.

“He saw the blood and responded rapidly, retrieving his thumb from the pile of wood chips, wrapping his hand and the thumb in an old T-shirt and ...” Find out the details yourself from the full story.

Suffice to say that Smith has gained a new appreciation for his thumb, with the help of a deft surgeon. As for the “too common” nature of his injuries, tablesawaccidents.com says it all.

So take care. ER visits don’t come cheap, as the American College of Emergency Physicians can attest. Here is its overview on “costs of emergency care.”