Westford firefighters and a surgical team worked for over two hours to free a worker whose arm became trapped in machinery about 10 feet above the ground

WESTFORD, Mass. — A worker whose arm became trapped in a conveyor belt at a Massachusetts business was freed after surgeons were called to the scene to assist with the rescue.

First responders described the Aug. 14 operation at a Newport Materials facility as highly unusual, with medical personnel performing a procedure to remove the worker from the machinery, WCVB reported.

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Firefighters found the worker about 10 feet above the ground with his arm trapped in a conveyor belt. A surgical team assisted with the rescue, securing the worker in a harness and administering an IV.

Officials said the worker remained alert and conscious throughout the two-and-a-half-hour rescue effort and was in good spirits.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s a first,” Fire Chief Michael Denehy said. “And with the amount of experience on scene, I’m not the only one that said that. So this isn’t an everyday occurrence. This is a once-in-a-lifetime.”

Dr. Robert Ball, a surgeon at Lowell General Hospital, was among the medical personnel called to the scene to assist with the rescue.

“Even in kind of, traumatic, chaotic experience, it didn’t feel that chaotic,” Ball said. “It was great to have, you know, multiple people looking at this and working towards, you know, a safe solution.”

Ball credited first responders with keeping the worker calm and safe during the rescue.

The Westford Fire Department said the worker was successfully extricated and airlifted by Boston MedFlight to a regional level 1 trauma center for further advanced care.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident.

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