Vitco Worker rescued after arm gets stuck in meat grinder in San Luis Obispo, California

San Luis Obispo City Fire Department/Facebook

Man stuck in meat grinder

 

Posted: 2:36 p.m. Friday, July 17, 2015

Cox Media Group National Content Desk

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — 

A California man is lucky to be alive after narrowly escaping an incident involving a meat grinder.

An unidentified Vitco employee was attempting to dislodge a piece of meat stuck in a grinder on Thursday when the sleeve of his shirt got caught in the machinery and pulled him in, San Luis Obispo Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Bisson told The Tribune.

Thanks to a fast-acting co-worker and the local fire department, the man’s injuries are not life-threatening.

The co-worker hit the kill switch on the machine when he heard the man screaming. Fire Chief Garret Olson said the man was a second away from suffering potentially fatal injuries.

The fire department carefully pried open the machine using hydraulic rescue tools to extricate the worker.

The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for a broken arm. On the fire department’s Facebook page, a woman who claimed to work at the same facility said the man was back home with his family.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.