On Nov. 6, Lara Rahn, 51, visual arts major, had an accident in room A-69 during Patricia Jauch’s Sculpture class at the Kiln Annex & Sculpture Yard..
Rahn was demonstrating to Evan Mancuso, 28, kinesiology major, how to bevel a piece of metal on the vertical belt sander when the piece caught, pulling Rahn’s right thumb into the sander.
“I knew that it had hit my thumb because I felt it,” Rahn said, “And then I looked at my thumb and said, ‘Oh, that’s not good.’”
The machine had sanded off the corner of her thumb. Rahn turned off the machine and put pressure on her thumb while Mancuso ran to the sculpture lab for help.
“Apparently, no one really knew what to do,” Mancuso said. “We didn’t know if we were supposed to call 911 or follow some sort of procedures.”
The campus police were called, but they were not equipped to handle the severity of the situation. They called 911 to send an ambulance but Rahn decided to go to urgent care instead. Mancuso drove Rahn to urgent care but was referred to the emergency room; Rahn’s husband who had met her at urgent care then drove her to El Camino Hospital.
“And then it started to hurt,” Rahn said.
After bandaging her thumb, Rahn was referred to a hand specialist. She was told there would be no complications, excluding the tip of her thumb being slightly flatter on one side.
Following the accident, Jauch brought up making changes in the sculpture studio regarding the safety protocols.
“I might go back to doing a safety quiz,” Jauch said.
Jauch plans on printing out safety and user manuals to stay on the equipment and have the student recite the safety protocols for the specific machine to either the lab tech or herself before using equipment.
Although the new changes will not eliminate risk entirely. Rahn is one of the more experienced students in the sculpture lab and knows all the safety protocols, proving accidents can happen to anyone.
“I was not in the correct headspace for the equipment that I was using,” Rahn said. She said it’s important to, “go in with a healthy respect for whatever it is that you’re doing. Don’t just assume, ‘Oh I’m at school, everything I do is safe.’”
Despite this, Rahn said that she isn’t going to let the accident stop her.
“It could’ve been worse … I came back,” Rahn said.
Jauch said, “That’s not gonna stop her from welding.”
Rahn recommends students to be mindful of their situations and aware how serious or unserious it is. She also said the best thing to do in the event of an emergency is stay calm and ask for or accept help, and “also (realize) stuff happens all the time and (to not) let it take away from your happiness.”
Rahn continues to work in the sculpture studio, and plans on getting back into welding in the future.
“Being here and creating is what I love. It’s my happy place,” Rahn said.
“I think it’s very important that if you see somebody that needs help, think about what to do, and don’t be afraid to approach them,” Rahn said.
It is important for students to know what to do in the event of a medical emergency on campus. De Anza Emergency Procedures states for minor incidents, call health services at (408) 864-8732. Be sure to give your name and location when you are explaining the situation.
Student Health services do not provide emergency care. In the event of a serious injury or illness, call 9-1-1 first for help, and then call health services to inform them of the incident and file a report.
If you see someone having a medical emergency on campus, call for help and follow these steps:
- Ask the victim if they are okay.
- Check their breathing rate and pulse. Perform CPR if necessary and you are trained to perform CPR.
- If the victim is bleeding, apply pressure on the wound to control it.
- Make sure the victim stays still and is comfortable. Have them sit or lay down.
Do not leave the victim until help arrives and make sure they don’t move unless absolutely necessary. For more detailed information, see “Helping a Student in Crisis.”
