Man in Satisfactory Condition after Amputating His Own Fingers

FoxNews.com is reporting that when the choice to amputate his own fingers or drown, that 51 year old William Messenger choose to cut off the tips of two of his fingers when faced with this very option.

The boat that William Messenger and his soon to be son-in-law Jarrad Todd were fishing from on the Wynoochee River on Sunday came in contact with quick rapids and then got swept into a log jam. Fox News says that their 16 foot drift boat then turned upstream at a 45 degree angle and started to fill with water. When the boat hit the log jam says Undersheriff Rick Scott (from Grays Harbor County via Fox News) the index finger and middle finger on William Messenger's left hand became pinned between the boat and the logs. The pressure of the water was enough to keep Messenger's fingers stuck.

After the boat became lodged Fox News is reporting that Jarrad Todd, William Messenger's soon to be son-in-law escaped the boat and went for help. He made his way to a home close by to see if he could find anyone that could help with the situation.

The Fox News report says that minutes before Jarrad Todd returned with help for Messenger that Messenger was able to reach a pocket knife from his straddling position on the lodged boat and proceeded to cut off the index finger and middle finger that were lodged. It is also being reported by Fox News and Undersheriff Rick Scott that William Messenger was afraid that help would not return in time to rescue him before he was overtaken for good by the rushing water of the Wynoochee River.

Rick Scott tells Fox News that "Hindsight is 20-20. If he'd have known help was not that far away, he might have held off taking the steps that he did." However there was no way for Mr. Messenger to know that help was mere minutes away and that he and his fingers could have both been saved.

At press time for Fox News the Seattle hospital that William Messenger was taken to said that Mr. Messenger was in satisfactory condition. A hospital spokeswoman also told Fox News that she was not sure if surgeons were able to reattach the two fingers to Mr. Messenger's hand. The hope of course for everyone involved is that William Messenger's fingers were able to be saved and reattached to his left hand.

RESOURCES:

Fox News via FoxNews.com ~ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,286694,00.html