Man loses fingers after lawnmower accident

The man had stopped the engine of the mower but the blades were still moving causing "significant damage". Photo / iStock

A man lost fingers on his right hand when he reached under his lawnmower on a Central North Island property today.

The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter ferried the 61-year-old Kuratau man to Waikato Hospital with traumatic injuries to two fingers on his right hand.

A rescue helicopter spokesman said the man had stopped the engine of the mower but the blades were still moving causing "significant damage".

The helicopter was used because of the remoteness of the area and the need for rapid transport to the vascular clinic, the spokesman said.