A routine DiY project quickly spiraled into a life-threatening emergency for Ralph in spring 2024.
Ralph was working in his spare room, attempting to cut through some stubborn pieces of 4×2 timber with a mains-powered angle grinder fitter with a circular saw blade. But somehow the blade snagged on the wood, violently kicking back and spinning out of control. The tool tore into Ralph’s left arm, leaving an S-shaped wound that demanded swift medical intervention.
‘I had this really calm moment where I just looked at my arm and thought, that is horrendous, Ralph recalled. He made his way to his wife who was in the kitchen. ‘I’ve had a bit of an accident’, he said. She helped him to a seat, stemmed the bleeding with a tea towel and called 999. Meanwhile, she turned off the angle grinder, which had gone through the floor and into the radiator, causing water to leak everywhere.
The land ambulance assessed Ralph and Devon Air Ambulance Advanced Prehospital Practitioner, Andy Dunne, arrived shortly after at the land crew’s request. Ralph received intravenous morphine and antibiotics on the way to hospital to help with the pain as the adrenaline wore off and to minimise the risk of infection. ‘The weird thing is, it didn’t really hurt,’ said Ralph. ‘I think because it was such a large blade, it left quite a clean cut. There was a throbbing sensation, but I wasn’t in a lot of pain’.
Remaining calm
Ralph was transported to the hospital by land ambulance, with Andy accompanying him. Ralph was initially being conveyed to Torbay Hospital, but Andy suggested that Royal Devon & Exeter (RD&E) Hospital would be a better option and called ahead to alert the receiving team. The duty plastic and vascular surgeons were informed and able to assess Ralph immediately on his arrival. Ralph remembers chatting with Andy, feeling surprisingly relaxed.
Andy is a great guy. He kept me really calm the entire journey and was telling jokes that kept me smiling.
At RD&E, an x-ray revealed that the blade had cut through all his muscles, tendons and ulna bone. The angle at which the blade travelled had ultimately meant that Ralph’s arm could be saved. A plastic surgeon examined the injury, while Andy asked Ralph about his work and hobbies. Ralph explained his love for playing electric bass guitar in several bands. Though Ralph felt uncertain about his future, the surgeon reassured him, ‘We’ll be able to put you back together and fix your arm. We hope that in time you will be able to play guitar again’.
Later that evening, Ralph underwent a 4-hour surgery where the plastic surgeon meticulously reattached his tendons and nerves. ‘When I woke up, my whole left arm was in plaster,’ Ralph said. ‘I kept touching my fingertips with my right hand to see if I had any feeling. I was lying there thinking that I might need to sell my guitar and go back to playing the drums. I was preparing myself’.
A solid recovery
Despite the uncertainty, Ralph found solace in mentally running through scales and chords. About a week later, he returned to the hospital to have his plaster cast removed and his arm placed in a custom-molded splint. ‘They were wonderful people,’ Ralph recalled. ‘Everyone was so nice! Seeing the cut and scar for the first time was a shock.’
Ralph spent six weeks with his arm in the splint and a sling, undergoing physiotherapy sessions that started with the smallest movements. ‘The physio was unbelievably brilliant,’ Ralph said. ‘By doing exactly as I was told, it made a huge difference to my recovery. At my last session, they told me I had healed really fast and didn’t need more sessions.’
One Sunday in August, Ralph was surprised by a visit from Andy. ‘It made me tear up,’ Ralph said. Andy asked if he could play guitar again, and Ralph brought out his classical guitar and played for him. ‘We both got quite emotional.
Andy later attended Ralph’s first gig playing bass in September 2024. Andy said:
‘It was a privilege to be part of the wider team treating Ralph and I am so pleased to see the remarkable recovery he has made. A large part of this is down to his own determination and persistence with his physiotherapy and daily exercises – a bespoke package was tailored for him to help his tendons, muscles and nerves to heal and playing guitar matched the exercise and necessary range of motion. It is a real pleasure to see Ralph doing what he enjoys – he plays a mean bass!’
We’re always grateful for the stories our patients are willing to share with us about how they were assisted. If you have been assisted by our team and would like to share your experience, we would love to hear from you – even if your incident was a long time ago.
