“Don’t be next statistic,” urges farmer who lost arm in accident

“IT doesn’t just affect you – it affects your family and livelihood.”

Those are the powerful words of William Sayers from Dunamanagh, who lost his arm in a devastating farming accident at just 12-years-old. Now, more than 30 years later, William remains remarkably positive but has chosen to share his harrowing story during ‘Farm Safety Week’ to help raise awareness and prevent others from enduring the same trauma.

“It was the Easter holidays of 1990,” he recalled. “My friend and I were in the fields spreading slurry. My father had run through all the dos and don’ts, but as a 12-year-old, you just want to get stuck in.”

Despite being told to stop for the day, the boys insisted on doing ‘one more round’.

“My mum told me to put a coat on, which I hadn’t done all day. I wore it loose and unzipped,” he said.

What happened next changed William’s life forever.

“We were filling up the tank, but it was taking forever. I checked around for leaks and came to the vacuum pump – it wasn’t operating properly.

“Suddenly, I was on the ground. I thought I was dying. I had no trousers, no shirt or coat. I looked beside me and my arm was lying there.”

William’s family rushed him to Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry, fearing the worst.

“My dad was certain I was going to die. But luckily, my arm hadn’t been cleanly cut off. When it was ripped in the machine, it twisted the blood vessels, which stopped the bleeding. If it had been a clean cut, I wouldn’t be here today.”

He was later transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where he encountered other patients injured in farming accidents.

“The man in the bed next to me had fallen from a silo pit. Another had a severed finger.

“It really opened my eyes to how many people were getting hurt on farms.”

While William had to adapt to life with one arm, he says the emotional toll on his family was just as hard.

“I don’t know how they coped. It must have been horrible to see me like that. My sister even had to find my arm and bring it to the hospital.

“But I’ve always had a positive mindset. Even in hospital I was thinking, ‘I’m not the worst off’.”

Now, as Farm Safety Week marks its 13th year, William is sharing his story to inspire change.

Organised by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), the campaign brings together over 400 farming and rural organisations to improve safety on farms.

“Farming is a very enjoyable and rewarding career… but it is dangerous,” he said.

“Even in our family, our uncle was killed, my father and then me – all suffered accidents.

“But these can be prevented. People just need to take their time, follow procedures, make sure guards are in place, and get rid of the attitude that ‘it’ll never happen to me’.”

William concluded, “Don’t be the next statistic. If my story helps raise awareness and prevents even one accident, then it’s worth it.”

‘Farming is a very enjoyable and rewarding career… but it is dangerous’