Man almost bleeds to death after slipping with knife while making a curry and severing his femoral artery
Yet all he was worried about was not making a mess of the caravan
A MAN accidentally stabbed himself in the groin making chicken CURRY – and almost bled to death.
Chris Sharples severed his femoral artery – the main blood supply to the lower limbs – missing his manhood by only around four inches.
Chris, 36, was in a caravan in the Lake District, preparing a celebration dinner for pals who had all just graduated from Salford University.
The dad-of-two, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, said: ";I had the knife and the chopping board, with the chicken on top, when the plastic tub went to slide off the board."
"I went to grab it and somehow stuck the knife into my groin, through the femoral artery, I don't really know how it happened, it was just a split second reaction."
He instinctively pulled the knife out and says there was so much blood that at first his mates thought he was having a joke with tomato ketchup.
They managed to stem the bleeding for 20 minutes until paramedics and a specialist trauma doctor arrived at the White Gate Caravan Park in Long Marton last Thursday.
Chris was treated with battle zone bandages and specialist dressings because the wound was so severe.
He was given at least four and a half pints of blood before he was airlifted from nearby Appleby to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
There he underwent three hours of emergency surgery to draft a section of a vein from his upper leg to reconnect his femoral artery.
Chris said: "The blood was just gushing out, it started squirting with such force, it was like nothing I'd ever seen before, there was pints and pints coming out.
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"My friends thought it was a wind-up at first, that I was messing about with some tomato ketchup.
"There was no pain, just panic. I lost a lot of blood and my chances of survival were close to none.
"My friends were pinching the wound to stop the bleeding. I knew I was in trouble but I didn’t want to make a mess of Sarah’s caravan.
"The odds of everything stacking up in my favour, of the air ambulance being available, of there being a trauma doctor on hand, and a lot of other things, are very, very slim."
Chris was released from hospital yesterday and has been told he should suffer no permanent damage.
The dad revealed he had instantly checked certain parts of his anatomy were still in working order - although somewhat bruised.
He added: "The doctor said I'll have to take it easy for six weeks but it's incredible really.
"It was weird but I never actually felt like I was going to die.
"I knew it was a possibility but I was just worried about getting blood all over my friend's caravan."
He said he was looking forward to being reunited with his two sons - five-year-old Jensen and nine-month-old Jasper.
He praised the crew of the Great North Air Ambulance, pilot Phil Lambert from Kendal, paramedic Terry Sharpe from Langwathby and doctors Laura Duffy from Newcastle and Theo Weston, of the doctor-led charity BASICS North West.
"They saved my life, without a doubt," he said. "They're my heroes."
Air ambulance paramedic Terry Sharpe said: "When we arrived, we discovered that the patient had suffered a deep wound and was losing a lot of blood. The doctor-led trauma team used specialist haemostatic dressings along with military pressure dressings to stem the bleed.
"At the scene, and in the helicopter, he was given the maximum amount of blood that we carry. He arrived at hospital in a critical condition and needed emergency surgery. Without getting there so quickly, his outcome would have almost definitely been different. He is a very lucky man."
Chris, a mature graduate in wildlife and conservation, plans to return to university for a master’s degree.
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