Oklahoma City teenager loses arm after oil-pump accident
Emergency responders determined they could not free the boy without jeopardizing his safety, so a surgeon was flown in on a medical helicopter to take off the arm.
The teen's name hasn't been released, and OU Medical Center spokesman Allen Poston says his family requested no information be released.
The teen and his friend were "messing with” a pump jack rig about 12:30 p.m. on an oil property at NW 104 and N Hudson Avenue when they turned it on to try to ride it, fire Deputy Chief Cecil Clay said. One of the rig’s many moving parts pinned the teen’s arm, and his friend was not able to turn the pump off.
The friend flagged down a passing taxi cab driver, Clay said.
The cab driver had previous experience with pump jack rigs and turned it off.
The surgeon amputated the boy’s arm below the shoulder, Clay said. Firefighters shielded the scene from view with red tarps as the surgeon worked.
The boy was then moved to a gurney and loaded onto the helicopter.
The teen, who had been trapped for about 90 minutes, was flown to OU Medical Center, but his condition was not known, Clay said.
His mother was at the scene and officials gave her a ride to the hospital.
An 8-foot chain-link fence surrounded the rig, and a similar fence enclosed a group of tanks next to it. Clay said the teens jumped over the fence.
State Corporation Commission spokesman Matt Skinner said there are no state regulations regarding how a pump jack should be secured, but Oklahoma City and other local governments have such regulations.
He said he didn’t know what the city’s rules were, and city officials could not be reached for comment Sunday.
Clay said the pump jack’s fence looked similar to those used on other oil properties in the city.