A man has told how he rushed to help his friend whose arm was pouring with blood after a chainsaw accident in Golcar.

The freak incident involved local man Andrew Booth, who was chopping wood behind Golcar Cricket Club, yesterday afternoon.

The chainsaw ‘flung up in the air’ before landing back down in Mr Booth’s arm in a freak accident.

His friend Andrew Biggs, told how he was in the Commercial Pub when he was phoned for help around 5pm on Tuesday.

Andrew said: “I got a call saying Andrew had cut his arm with a chainsaw and immediately rang an ambulance as it sounded pretty bad. I stayed on the phone to them as I raced round to the back of the Cricket Club and he was just sat on a wall slumped with his arm pouring with blood.

“My friend who’d phoned me, Chris Gumbie, was with him so I ran back to the club to get clean towels.

“I was panicking, because I’m not very good with blood but Boothy was actually quite calm. I don’t think he thought it was as bad as it actually was.

“He said he was chopping wood and the chainsaw flung up in the air and then landed in his arm.

“He’d put his jumper over it but I was trying not to look as I didn’t want to faint as there was blood everywhere.

“I put the towels on the wound and was talking to him.

“The paramedics arrived really quickly and a doctor. Then the helicopter.

“He was taken to LGI and he’s having an operation today.”

Speaking of the injured man, he added: “Yeah, he’s a mate. He’s a nice bloke. To be honest it could have been a lot worse. I hope he’s okay”

A Yorkshire Air Ambulance spokesman said: “We were alerted to a man in his 50s with severe arm injuries. The casualty was flown by the air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary.”