A FOUR-YEAR-OLD Wagga child has suffered horrific injuries after his hand became trapped inside a meat grinder on Tuesday.
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Police allege the pre-schooler was assisting his mother and grandparents in their family restaurant on Forsyth Street around 11.30am when he was left unattended.
The child – who was inside the kitchen of Lebanese restaurant Al Sultan – is believed to have moved too close to an industrial mincer and lodged his hand inside the machine.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and were confronted with extremely panicked employees and family members.
NSW Paramedics duty operations manager Inspector Eamonn Purcell revealed the child had to be conveyed to hospital while his hand was still trapped inside the machine.
“Paramedics and hospital staff worked really hard to eventually free him from the mincer,” he said.
“He was so badly trapped that the machine had to be dissembled by emergency workers to free his hand.
“It was a confronting call-out by all accounts.”
While the extent of the child’s injuries are not yet known, the damage sustained to the boy’s hand has been described as “extremely traumatic.”
Murrumbidgee Local Health District public affairs manager Sally Druitt told The Daily Advertiser he is in a “critical, but stable condition” and is being flown to the Sydney Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery.
The child entered transit by air ambulance from Wagga around 3.30pm on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Work Cover will investigate the circumstances that led to the child allegedly being left unsupervised inside the kitchen.
Wagga police Inspector Peter McLay described the incident as “nasty and disturbing”, confirming the child remained conscious as he suffered through the ordeal.
“Unfortunately, he was trapped inside the machine for a period of time,” he said.
“While his mother wasn’t looking, he got his hands too close to the machine.
“The poor young fellow has endured something seriously horrific.
“It demonstrates the importance of teaching children to be safe inside workplaces.”
The restaurant has been closed while the immediate family come to terms with the incident and the scene is investigated by authorities.
