Toddler's hand severed in meat grinder

Police investigation suggests two-year-old girl was in neighbor's house when her hand became caught in meat grinder. Doctors unable to save hand

Maor Buchnik|Published: 06.29.12 , 11:59

The hand of a two-year-old girl was severed after being caught in a meat grinder on Friday. The girl was rushed by helicopter to the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

A police investigation suggests that the girl was under the care of one a neighbor at the time of the accident. The man placed the child on the kitchen counter while busy taking care of Shabbat preparations.

At one point, the toddler put her hand in the meat grinder causing it to be severed. She was immediately taken to an HMO branch in Misgav where a Magen David Adom team administered initial care. "She was crying and suffering from a serious injury. We took her to the Rambam hospital by helicopter," said paramedic Majdi Khiali.

Surgeons at Rambam said they could not save the girl's hand. "The hand was injured in the part between the wrist and the elbow, with no possibility for reconstruction. She was taken to the operating room where she will be sutured and will later be admitted into the children's hospital ICU," the hospital said.

"This is an unfortunate event," said trauma chief Dr. Hani Bachus. "Unfortunately there is nothing to do but close the wound and monitor the girl until she wakes up."

Police have launched an investigation and the neighbor was taken in for questioning on suspicion for negligence.

The police arrested the neighbor after a preliminary investigation revealed that he buried the hand in his yard soon after the accident.

The neighbor explained his actions, saying that a medical official told him that "nothing can be done with it." He will be brought to the Akko Magistrate's Court for a remand hearing.