GREAT FALLS — On the morning of December 6th, Butch Olson was at Liffring Machine and Repair in Great Falls, which he owns and where he’s worked for over 40 years, completing a job he has done thousands of times over the years, when he suffered a horrible accident.
While using a lathe machine, which primarily is used to shave steel, Butch’s jacket got caught, pulling his arm into the machine up to his shoulder.
Alone in the shop, Olson held his body back from going in any further for 20 minutes before the machine’s motor gave out. With a broken back, four broken ribs, and a chipped bone, he was able to manually unwind the machine to get his arm out, walk to the office, and call for help.
Even though he managed to keep his arm, “The inside of his arm is like hamburger”, Dianna Olson, Butch’s sister, says, “He can move it, make a fist and that's about it. His arm is starting to get a little feeling back in it, but unfortunately is bringing a lot more pain for him”.
Lathe accidents are most commonly caused by loose clothing getting caught in the machinery, many times resulting in the loss of a limb or death.
Dianna says, “He told me that he did this over 10,000 times, and he knows this job and he knows the danger, he's seen people get hurt. All it took was one minute”.
Dianna set up a GoFundMe page for medical expenses and to help with his income, as his business is currently shut down in his absence.
Dianna explains, “There's nobody that can step up to the plate and run those machines. It’s an art that you don't see anymore, it's not computerized, it's old school. So, yeah, he's on his own”.
Butch has begun physical therapy, and can reportedly make a fist, but it is still unclear if he will ever regain full use of his arm.
If you would like to donate to Butch’s recovery, click here.
