Luke Brittain was involved in a lawn mower accident at 21, and after surgery and physical therapy, he's pitching with the hand he almost lost.
A baseball player from Northeast Ohio lost his hand in a lawn mower accident, but now he's pitching again with the same hand he thought he'd lost forever.
Luke Brittain was 21 when the horrifying incident took place at his North Canton, Ohio, home, Cleveland Clinic spokesperson Grant Passell told USA TODAY on Friday, Aug. 29.
Brittain's hometown is in Stark County, about 50 miles southeast of Cleveland.
“I rolled off the mower as fast as I could. I didn't think I had hurt myself,” the Hoover High School graduate and lifelong athlete recalled in a statement released by the Cleveland-based hospital. “I tried to reach down in my pocket for my phone and that's when I realized my hand wasn't there.”
An injured Brittain immediately wrapped "remnants of his shredded jacket around his arm and hand," before he was taken by ambulance to the Cleveland Clinic Akron General to undergo surgery, according to hospital officials.
Once there, orthopedic surgeon William Lanzinger and a clinical team had a six to 12-hour window to re-establish blood flow to the pitcher's hand.
“My hand was a bloody mess. I didn’t even know if I had any fingers left,” Brittain said, according to the hospital. “It was bad. I didn't think there was any way of getting my hand back at all.”
A return to the mound
The surgery was a success.
“The other caregivers and I only played a small part in his journey," Lanzinger said. "Luke should be proud of the work he put in and the resilience he has shown to make it this far.”
Following the procedure, Brittain underwent months of physical therapy. As of Friday, Aug. 29, he was back on the mound, according to the hospital.
During a Louisville Slugger Warriors amputee baseball game, he even pitched again.
Photos of baseball pitcher who lost hand in lawn mower accident
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Baseball player who lost hand to lawn mower returns to pitcher's mound
Category: General Sports
