Oklahoma man loses nearly entire hand in power saw accident
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (KFOR) — A tragic accident with a power saw has claimed a man's fingers.
Tammy and John Russell own a handyman business and have been working on a Midwest City home for a few months.
On Saturday evening, Tammy was out in the back painting and her husband John was cutting wood in the garage. All of a sudden their lives changed.
'I heard this horrific, horrific scream and he came running and he's holding his hands and he said he needed to go to the E.R. right then, it was bad,' said Tammy.
John was losing blood fast and with only work tools on site Tammy had to act quickly.
'I remember I had a jacket around my waist that I just was trying to fumble to get it untied,' said Tammy.
She used it as a tourniquet and they raced to the hospital, but doctors weren't able to save his fingers.
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'They wanted to try, but I knew there was no point. I asked them I said, 'what's holding them together?' He said, skin. I said, just take them,' said John.
John is left with only his thumb.
'It was horrific just to look at. I've never seen anything so gruesome, especially happening to my husband. It was just awful because that's his working hand,' said Tammy.
Now, the couple hopes their nightmare will teach others. John says even with proper equipment, safety gear and years of experience you need to work cautiously.
'That saw it will jump and bite you and regardless how good you think you are you eventually get caught,' said John.
Even in pain, John is moving around and is determined to find a way to still finish the job.
'Just another challenge to work around,' said John.
The road to recovery will be tough, especially without insurance.
The couple has a Gofundme page set up. To donate, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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