By ANEEKA SIMONIS
JAMIE Morrison is lucky to be alive.
The 26-year-old old Warragul construction worker was almost through with his working day in Bunyip when horror struck.
The demolition saw he was using to cut a pipe jammed, kicking back and slashing his throat just after 4pm on Wednesday 13 April.
Blood began to gush from his throat, but Jamie remembers putting the concrete cutter down very calmly and calling for help.
“It all happened really quickly … it just kicked back and got me in the throat,” Jamie told the Gazette.
“I didn’t know what hit me. I put the machine down and noticed blood everywhere.”
Paramedics were called and his workmates bundled him into a car, transporting him from the Riverside Drive worksite to a grass reserve where he was flown to The Alfred hospital.
He was seen immediately by surgical staff of the hospital who anaesthetised Jamie, before stitching his neck.
Thankfully for him, no major damage was done – with the blade missing his vital jugular vein and carotid artery.
But there was no such relief for Jamie and his shocked workmates in the terrifying moments following the deep laceration.
“When you see that on the job, you expect it to be fatal,” he said.
“They (workmates) thought I might die.
“I was lucky it didn’t get anything vital. The saw nicked my thyroid, but there was no serious damage.”
Now, Jamie is recovering back at his Warragul home under the care of his girlfriend, Amy Malone.
He said it’ll be sometime before he picks up another demolition saw.
“I have never been afraid of one before. I won’t be using one again. It’s not worth it,” Jamie said.
WorkSafe are investigating the incident.
