Man's arm amputated after getting caught in machine

A 63-year-old man's arm was amputated when it got caught in an industrial lathe in Santa Ana, officials said Friday.

The accident occurred about 11:30 p.m. Thursday at aircraft parts manufacturer GE Aviation on East Dyer Road as the man was turning a piece of metal in the lathe, officials said. His arm got caught in the machine and was sliced off at the elbow, said Capt. Mark Stone of the Orange County Fire Authority.

"His co-workers tried to keep him from bleeding to death by applying a tourniquet of some sort to tighten the vessels that were ripped off,” Stone said, adding that it was unclear if loose clothing or something else caused the accident.

The man was taken to a Santa Ana hospital, where doctors were going to try to reattach the arm, Stone said.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health will investigate, officials said.

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-- Esmeralda Bermudez

Image: A map shows the Santa Ana location where a man's arm was amputated by an industrial lathe. Source: Google Maps