Portland Fire & Rescue firefighters helped a boy whose hand was stuck in a wheel on Friday night.
Rescue 7 was dispatched for a "finger stuck in a wheel." Upon arrival, they found an 8-year-old boy whose finger was trapped in the lug hole of a car wheel. The child had been stuck for approximately 45 minutes while his parents tried to free him, unsuccessfully, trying oil and petroleum jelly.
After calling for assistance from another crew they began the extrication by wrapping the end of the finger using an elastic strap from a non-rebreather oxygen mask and applying a cold pack to reduce swelling. The strap compressed the finger to a smaller than normal size to help it slide through the hole.
As the finger was backed out of the hole, the strap was slowly removed and eventually freed.
The patient was evaluated after the extrication and was not injured.
Photos used with permission from the parents of the patient.
Photos courtesy of PF&R Photographer Dick Harris
