Farmer's leg looks like it's been minced in blender after getting stuck in harvesting machine

A farmernearly died after his leg was trapped in a harvesting machine, which left his limb looking like “it had been stuck in a blender”.

Martin Parkhouse, 45, from near Collumpton, Devon, had been harvesting maize - an operation he had done more than 100 times before - when the crops got tangled around his foot, pulling him into theteeth of the machine. Fortunately, his colleague Rupert was there and managed to quickly cut the engine, but Martin’s leg had already been mangled.

The grandad-of-one said: “It was seconds, but with the size and power of any farming machine, it only takes seconds. I knew I was in trouble but it wasn't until the machine was shut down that I started to feel the pain.”

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He explained: "There was no way of getting me out - there was so much blood that it was puddling in the field around me."

Rupert used his belt as a tourniquet on Martin’s leg and used what3words to give emergency services their exact location, telling the operator: “He’s trapped, send everyone.” In total, there were 30 emergency response people on the scene.

The farmer was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in Plymouth, where he underwent a seven-hour life-saving surgery and two blood transfusions. He spent four and a half months in hospital before being discharged, but then ended up back in hospital with an infection until mid-March.

However, Martin’s struggles were not over, and he had to endure seven further operations over the following months to reconstruct his leg “like a jigsaw puzzle”.

Martin said of the accident: "In total there were 30 emergency response people. My leg was completely open from the knee down. I knew I was in serious trouble."

A year-and-a-half later, in April 2025, Martin was finally able to get back to work. His right leg is now set to be amputated at the knee, which will mean he can use a prosthetic.

"They did an amazing job getting me this far but the leg isn't working right to carry on a safe and healthy lifestyle,” he said. “It will be a better life, I want to get back to work and determination is the key to recovery."

The accident still haunts Martin, who suffers with PTSD and experiences nightmares and flashbacks to the day his leg got trapped. He said: "Growing up around tractors, every farming boy wants to drive them. You never expect an accident will happen to you though. I'm just lucky I had a group around me who knew exactly what to do. It's given me a new appreciation for life."

The farmer said he was thankful for the swift actions of all those involved, explaining: "Three things saved my life, Rupert, Devon Air Ambulance, and what3words.”