The 31-year-old West Hartford resident who nearly sawed off his left arm while trapped in a boiler told reporters that he first screamed for 12 hours while in his basement. When it became clear no one was coming, Jonathan Metz realized he started to smell his arm rotting, "At that point, I had a decision to make" about cutting his arm off. "I definitely dithered for a few hours after coming up with the initial idea," he said. "I thought there must be some other way, so I kind of started looking around my surroundings again. Maybe there was something I missed. You know, what would MacGyver do if he were here?" (Video of his press conference below.)
After describing how he got caught in the boiler (he had been vacuuming it and was retrieving an attachment that fell off), It took himself six hours to "psych" himself up to before Metz went for it. The Hartford Courant reports, "Using his right arm and his mouth, he made a tourniquet out of his shirt and tied it around his left arm. Then he reached for power tool blades that were lying nearby and started cutting his arm, halfway between his left elbow and shoulder, he said. Metz is right-handed." He said, "I don't know how many strokes it took. But it was quite a few. So yes, every one, I was re-evaluating in some way, was it too late to stop? Or what was the point where there was no going back?" He also hoped he could cut off his arm, put it in the freezer and have it surgically reattached.
But his arm was indeed rotting: Doctors say that he probably saved his life by cutting the arm, because the toxins from the rotting arm could have killed him. Metz also survived two days by drinking discharged water from the boiler: It was "the most disgusting, orange water I have ever seen. And yet it was the best-looking water I have ever seen."
The Travelers insurance employee said that thoughts of his fiancee, family, and dog kept him going. Metz said, "Human spirit, it's strong... And trust me, whether it's cutting your arm off or finding some other way, I think all people would be surprised by what they're capable of."
His family has set up a donation page—Help Jon Metz— to help pay for the cost of a prosthetic arm. The site notes, "Donations that surpass Jon’s needs, if any, will be given to a nonprofit organization providing prosthetic care for those in need." Apparently a typical prosthetic costs $100,000 and insurance would only cover some of it.
