THE tree surgeon who severed all the major blood vessels in his neck with a chainsaw and survived emergency surgery has been transferred to a London hospital for specialist nerve repair.
The 21-year-old man was working 25ft up a tree in Thorney Road, Guyhirn, at 3pm on Thursday when he slipped, causing the chainsaw to leave deep wounds in his neck and left arm.
He was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and was received by a physician and a vascular surgeon for emergency surgery. His condition at the time was stable but critical.
A Magpas spokesman said: “The man survived his surgery, he came through the vascular surgery and has now been transferred to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London for specialist nerve repair to his left arm.”
The man, thought to be working for tree surgery firm BTS, was also believed to be contracted to carry out work for UK Power Networks.
Road ambulances and the Magpas Helimedix team attended Thursday’s incident and found the man still fully conscious when they arrived at the scene.
The spokesman said: “He was sedated at the scene and measures were taken to stop the bleeding.
“Doctors and paramedics packed gauze into his neck to help clot the blood - a technique frequently used on the frontline in Afghanistan.”
The case has now been passed to the Health and Safety Executive, who are carrying out an investigation.
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