An annual tug-of-war contest in eastern Canada turned bloody when a man got his hand caught in the rope and severed four fingers, The (Halifax) Chronicle Herald reported Sunday.
On Saturday, Jim Thurber, a 59-year-old recently retired municipal supervisor, was participating in a tug-of-war contest held each year between residents of Digby and Annapolis counties on a bridge over Bear River -- which marks part of the counties’ border in Nova Scotia.
"There were men, women, children, (and) people in period costume," Patty Busby, a witness, told the Herald.
"They were pulling pretty hard and it was just looking like fun. People were cheering and then, all of a sudden, people at the far end started waving their hands and yelling ’Stop, stop, stop.’ "
It was unclear exactly how his fingers were severed, but Busby told the paper that Thurber, who was pulling for Digby County, wrapped the rope around his hand during the competition.
His severed digits were quickly put on ice and Thurber was rushed to a nearby hospital to undergo reattachment surgeries, the paper said.
His family was hopeful that the retiree would recover quickly from the accident, but worried about how it would affect his golf playing.
"It’s tough to think about," his son, Cory Thurber, told the Herald. "Hopefully, they can do a good job [with the surgery]. He likes golfing and that won’t be possible, or easy, anymore."
Read more: http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1203860.html
