Caught by the fingertip

A MAN was left dangling from a loft hatch with his finger impaled on a nail in a freak Christmas accident.

He slipped as he tried to get the family Christmas tree from the attic at his home on Howgill Crescent, Hollins.

His wife raised the alarm at around 1pm on Friday and fire fighters from nearby Hollins Fire Station arrived to find him balancing on a ladder and the a banister.

They cut out a section of timber to free the man who remained conscious and was taken to hospital with the nail and wood attached to his hand.

He is now recovering at home and fire fighter Michael Howe said: “He had gone up in the loft to get the Christmas tree but he slipped and grabbed hold of the loft hatch to try and stop himself falling.

“There was a nail sticking out, it must have been a good inch, and he must have grabbed it with some force. It just went through his third finger and out the other side.

“When we got there he was hanging out with his hand on the timber. He was stuck there, half on the banister and half on a ladder.

“He was lucky, it could have been a lot worse. Had he passed out it probably would have ripped his hand off. As it was it was quite clean, the nail went straight through.”