Cotati worker loses hand in machinery accident

<p>A Cotati graphics store worker lost a hand in a machinery accident early Monday, according to emergency reports.</p><p>Lon Martinsen, a longtime employee of Grafix Screen Printing, had his hand cut off while working with a large paper cutter, said Michele Holman, shop office manager.</p><p>“He was using a paper cutter, a really big one. We're not sure what happened,” Holman said Monday morning.</p><p>Rancho Adobe firefighters were called to the Portal Street business at about 7:50 a.m. for a man who'd lost a hand in a work accident. When they arrived they found his co-workers had scrambled to help him. </p><p>“The employees already had a tourniquet applied to the injured limb,” fire Capt. Larry Martinez said. Firefighters supported what they'd done and an ambulance crew quickly followed and began more extensive medical aid.</p><p>Holman said when the accident occurred shocked shop employees quickly moved to do something for the injured man. </p><p>They used what they had available, rags and T-shirts they had cut up, to apply to the wound and try and slow the bleeding for the conscious man. </p><p>“He was bleeding so bad. We tried to keep him calm until the emergency people came. It was just really scary, the blood was going everywhere,” she said.</p><p>Martinsen was rushed to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and was then transferred to a San Francisco hospital where doctors were going to try and re-attach his hand, Holman said.</p><p>She said the man had worked at the shop for 10 years.</p><p>Cal-Osha was called to investigate the accident.</p>