A college student had three of his fingers severed during a lesson after his hand got stuck in an electric saw.

Aaron Maguire was just 17 when a horrific accident at college cost him two fingers and nearly his thumb. While studying at Reaseheath College in Nantwich, near Crewe, Cheshire, the teen was left unsupervised while using a mitre saw - a high-powered tool with a fast-spinning circular blade.

As he attempted to cut a piece of wood lengthways, it suddenly twisted, yanking his hand into the teeth of the saw. Aaron - who at the time was a second year Horticulture student - was rushed to hospital and following an eight hour operation surgeons doctors managed to successfully re-attach his thumb and index finger.

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But his middle finger could not be saved, and as a result of Aarons injury, the college was fined £40,000. Since the ordeal, Aaron, a keen hockey player, who is now 19, revealed everyday tasks are now more far more difficult. He said: “I cannot grip things properly and it makes it difficult to do the hobbies I did.

“Prior to the incident, I enjoyed playing hockey - I still try to play now, but it is nowhere near the level I was playing at before I had my injury. My left hand is not my dominant hand though I have had to adjust to doing things that I would normally do with it such as cutting food and picking up everyday objects like glasses and cups."

Now, 18 months on, the 19-year-old has told he will need more surgery on his middle finger which he hopes won’t affect his plans to go to university in September. “There are a number of reasons why an operation needs to take place - one is because the bone in my index finger is gradually sliding down and pushing into the skin on my hand.

“The operation is due to take place later this year. If the timing of the operation occurs around September when I am due to start my university course, this will have a significant impact on my studies.”

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the 2023 accident revealed a series of serious failings at Reaseheath College. The probe found that the college had not carried out a proper risk assessment or created a written safe system of work for operating the mitre saw. Crucially, there was no record of what training or instruction had been given to students using the dangerous piece of machinery.

The investigation also uncovered a lack of any system to determine whether supervision was required. No refresher training was offered to students returning after their summer break. Shockingly, on the day of the incident, Aaron had already been spotted by a tutor misusing the saw earlier that morning. Despite this warning sign, he was allowed to use it again later the same day - this time unsupervised.

According to HSE guidance, thorough risk assessments are essential to identify and address hazards. It also makes clear that young people require special consideration due to their limited experience and developing judgment. Employers are expected to ensure users of equipment are not only trained but demonstrably competent, and the level of supervision must reflect that competence. In Aaron’s case, those safeguards were sorely lacking.

As a result the college was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £6,106 in costs at Chester Magistrates’ Court on June 4 this year.

HSE inspector Summer Foster said: “Places of education and workplaces must ensure that they have properly assessed the risks where young people are using dangerous machinery. If suitable training, an assessment of competence and appropriate supervision had been carried out then this accident would not have been able to happen.

“A young man has been left with life-changing injuries as a result.”