Snowblower danger

Ed Pawlowski · 2013-02-13T03:17:51+00:00

Holy crap, I read about the amputations just here in CT over the past few days. 12 patients lose 19 fingers. . What is shocking though, half of the losses occurred after the engine was shut off. It seems that the auger can retain power if it is jammed the right way and when released, it will jump far enough to take a finger or two with it. Use that little shovel that comes with it, or a stick. Keep the hands out. Snow blower injuries across the state Using them with caution Updated: Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 12:16 AM EST Published : Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, 12:16 AM EST Bob Wilson HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- News 8 is warning you about a piece of equipment that residents have relied on over the past few days. Emergency rooms all over the state report that they've had to treat several patients for snow blower related injuries. "I've seen people and heard of people doing it but I don't know of anybody who was injured," said George Howard of West Hartford. "Been using the snow blower since the storm ended on Saturday, about 11 o'clock. Been working 14, 15 hours a day." Howard has been doing snow removal for years and while he knows not to stick his hand into a running snow blower, people do it. At Hartford Hospital alone, 5 people were treated for lost fingers over the weekend. Dr. Allan Babigan is a plastic surgeon and says with this heavy wet snow, he is surprised the number isn't higher. "We had a 31 inch snow storm and we had 12 people come into the ER who lost 19 fingers and all of them were amputations," Dr. Babigan said. Dr. Babigan says especially with the rain, the snow is really heavy and wet which can stall the snow blower, making it even more dangerous. The snow binds the blades and they are still under pressure. Because it's off you think there is no danger but when you reach in with your hand and remove the snow, the blades can spin taking your fingers off. "It might only be a quarter turn or a half turn but that is enough to cause a fracture or soft...