Ontario Construction News staff writer
An Ottawa construction crew used a makeshift tourniquet to save a man’s life after his arm was severely slashed by a broken mirror.
The man was working on a home renovation site, when a large mirror he was carrying shattered, the Ottawa Paramedic Service said Wednesday.
Shards of glass severed the brachial artery in the his arm, causing significant blood loss and a life-threatening situation.
His colleagues acted quickly, called 911 and creating a torniquet from fabric and a pencil to stop the bleeding until paramedics arrived. He was taken to hospital in serious condition.
“We would like to commend the quick actions taken by this patient’s coworkers, who were able to promptly provide lifesaving first aid treatments to this injured person, which resulted in a successful outcome,” the paramedic service said in a statement.