Builder who fell on saw drove himself to hospital after bowels 'fell out' in horrific accident

Mr Clancy managed to drive himself to his local hospital Credit: Wales Air Ambulance

  • Warning: Article contains graphic detail

A retired builder has relived a horrific accident which saw him fall onto a garden saw and drive himself to hospital with his bowels wrapped in a t-shirt.

Brendan Clancy from Upper Cwmtwrch in the Swansea Valley was cutting pallets before he tripped and fell onto the nine-inch blade of the saw.

It cut through the 67-year-old's abdomen and through to his bowels in June.

Mr Clancy managed to drive himself to Ystradgynlais Community Hospital, 10 minutes away and was later airlifted to hospital by the Wales Air Ambulance

Mr Clancy was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where he underwent surgery. Credit: Wales Air Ambulance

  • "I felt something squidgy and I realised my bowels were coming out"

He was then taken to nearby Pontardawe playing fields where the air ambulance was waiting for him.

Mr Clancy was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where he underwent surgery.

Recalling what happened, he thought the fall "would hurt" but then felt "something squidgy" before realising his bowels were "coming out".

Mr Clancy added: "I couldn’t believe it. They just kept coming out and it seemed as if it would never stop.

"There was a bucket on the floor but that was dirty, and I thought I couldn’t use that, so I went inside and grabbed a T-shirt and wrapped them up in that.

He has made a full recovery with no lasting injury, other than a 12-inch scar, the Wales Air Ambulance said. Credit: Wales Air Ambulance

"I must have been running on adrenaline, I knew I needed help but knew I couldn’t wait for help to arrive.”

He said his wife was away in Carmarthen and his phone was in a pocket where my insides were spilling out.

The father-of five added that he drove myself to the minor injuries unit which is a few miles away in Ystradgynlais.

"When you are carrying your guts, you don’t think of anything else apart from keeping them all in one place.

“There was no blood even though the saw had cut through about four inches of my bowel, but I could see my breakfast.”

Remarkably, Mr Clancy made a full recovery with no lasting injury, other than a 12-inch scar, the Wales Air Ambulance said.

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