Canterbury firefighters were called to free a boy whose finger was severely injured after it got stuck in a bicycle wheel.
The Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade responded to the call at the boy's Netherby address.
Brigade chief Jeff Marshall said when firefighters arrived about 1pm on Sunday, Hato Hone St John staff were already at the scene.
"Unfortunately, we cut up this wee fellow’s bike," Marshall said.
But the boy, aged about 11, "didn’t care too much" about seeing his bike destroyed and had been administered painkillers by the St John team.
And while his parents were distressed at the situation, they remained calm.
Marshall said the boy had been undertaking maintenance on the bicycle when the accident happened.
His finger became caught between the frame and the rear disk brake unit.
"You would call that a freak accident, he just grabbed a hold of it at the wrong time," Marshall said.
Fifteen minutes after firefighters arrived, the boy was freed. His mother accompanied him in an ambulance as he was taken to Christchurch Hospital for surgery.
A St John spokesperson said one patient was assessed at the scene and transported to hospital in a moderate condition.
