KEY POINTS:
A 15-year-old Auckland boy is lucky to be alive after he was dragged into a potato sorting machine up to his hip. It took emergency services two hours to rescue him.
Rielle Koni was one of five "graders" sorting potatoes at 9am yesterday on the back of the machine when his left leg became stuck between two rollers.
His colleagues on the sorter on a farm at Pukekawa, south of Auckland, hit the emergency stop button and tried to prise the rollers apart with a piece of wood until emergency services arrived.
St John Ambulance paramedics gave Rielle morphine and fluids for shock while 20 firefighters from four brigades began taking the machine apart.
Rielle was conscious during the two hours it took them to unscrew the parts.
He was taken to Middlemore Hospital by the Westpac rescue helicopter where he had surgery last night for deep cuts to his leg.
He had upper leg and pelvic injuries but no broken bones.
Rielle waved and said goodbye to his colleagues as he was stretchered away.
Paul Coppock, health and safety co-ordinator for Wilcox, the company contracting the graders to harvest the potatoes, said Rielle was part of a team on a short-term casual contract.
It was too early to confirm how the accident occurred and an inquiry was being held. The company was doing all it could to help the Department of Labour in its investigation. Wilcox took the matter very seriously and would not use the machine until the matter was resolved, he said.
"For the company's sake we don't want this to happen so we'll have to look and see why it happened and, if we can change anything on the machine or anything, the training of staff, we have to do that before we get that machine going again."
His thoughts went out to Rielle.
"We hope that he gets well soon and makes a full recovery. He's been a lucky guy."
Mr Coppock said he was impressed with how well the emergency services worked together.
"It was great to see the services that we've got in New Zealand rally around and get this young chap out of this machine."
Sergeant Shane Drury of Pukekohe said he had taken statements at the scene but the Department of Labour was handling the matter.
"He's a very lucky boy to be alive actually. He's extremely lucky not to have more serious injuries.
"The Fire Service had to unbolt the machine from around him and cut parts of it out. He was right up inside all the works of it."
The Department of Labour said it could be up to six months before the outcome of the investigation would be known.
HOW IT WORKS
* A potato harvester is a machine similar to a large tractor, with a driver and several "graders".
* Potatoes are dug up and sent along a roller table for the graders, who pick out any bad potatoes and dirt and put them into a reject chute.
