[Kozak]

Word to the wise: do NOT stick your hand down the shute of a snowblower to clear an ice jam if the auger is still spinning. I let go of the hand control and thought the auger has stopped.

Uh, don't EVER put your hand in a snow blower to clear an ice jam. EVER.EVER. The auger is on a tension spring and even when it's not spinning and the motor is off, if you clear the jam, the auger will spin and likely take off a few fingers.

ER's and hand surgeons hate the first big snow of winter because of this. I have had days where our patients were lined up to see the hand surgeon for repair.

[FourPeas]

We had a family friend who was a very successful surgeon until he made the mistake of sticking his hand down the chute. He lost the whole hand. Thankfully, he was able to still work training other surgeons.

He said the worst part for him was that he *knew* not to stick his hand down there.