Feb 19 2009Guy Loses Finger To Neodymium Magnets

What you're looking at there is a dude's fingernail and the remains of a finger that got crushed between two Neodymium magnets. Brutal! Sweet!
Dirk had an accident. It took 1 1/2 hours of surgery to remove the shattered bones and repair the damage. Medically speaking, he crushed his right index finger distal phalange. The magnets had a 50 cm (20 inch) separation when they decided to fly together.
He is lucky that he only lost a finger tip as opposed to his whole hand. The block Neo below is about 4" by 2" by 2" N45 with a pull force of around 700 lbs (320 kg). The disk is about 3" dia. by 2 1/2" thick N45 with a pull force of about 400 lbs (180 kg). That is his fingernail and some of his finger tip caught between the magnets.
Holy hellfire. Hit the jump to see the graphic photos and a link to the whole story. Which amazingly didn't include heavy drinking and/or a bet. Seriously though, Neodymium magnets are not playtoys (unless you got the really small weak ones, in which case, whee!). Remember what they taught you in Boy Scouts: if you can't stand the heat, too many chefs spoil the broth. Life wisdom, folks, I'm full of it.
Hit the jump for graphic pictures of a bloody stump.



Dirk's Accident [magnetnerd]
Thanks to Katie and Devin, who aren't even allowed to play with refrigerator magnets.

Reader Comments
1. naas - February 19, 2009 10:00 AM
suave
2. naas - February 19, 2009 10:02 AM
Well try to be more careful dude, who fuks around with magnets that powerful anyways...
3. Daisy Double - February 19, 2009 10:07 AM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its a fake because the shadow's are all wrong.
This is exactly like the scene in the movie Never Back Down where Max gets his finger stuck in his asshole and calls his brother to help him take it out. Later the asshole gets a mind of its own and eats everything in site and max eventually shits out his mouth.
4. poodles - February 19, 2009 10:09 AM
yep thats herpes alright, shoulda kept his finger outa that one!
5. Fuzzy - February 19, 2009 10:16 AM
Daisy Double
dude you watched some f#cked up movie there.
6. Madgame - February 19, 2009 10:16 AM
Looks like my penis
7. Kim Lyons - February 19, 2009 10:17 AM
Boring! It looks like my finger when I'm digging for boogs.
8. Daisy - February 19, 2009 10:39 AM
Wow I am retarted
9. Tricky Ricky - February 19, 2009 10:44 AM
FAIL !!!!
If your going to stick your finger in a dangerous place, at least have the common sense to make sure it's the right finger that gets it.(.ex: the middle finger)..that way when it's in a splint you can flip everyone the byrd and not get in trouble for doing so..
10. Moose Knuckle - February 19, 2009 10:52 AM
BBQ sauce!!!
11. Public Masturbator - February 19, 2009 10:54 AM
hairy wolfenfingers
12. naas - February 19, 2009 11:07 AM
@8 not the real Daisy - You're not too bright either since you can't spell the word retarded correctly.
13. Afinho - February 19, 2009 11:15 AM
Imagine if it was your testicles in between thos magnets. *shudder*
You could easily kill someone with this. Just put one magnet behind someones back and then hold the other to their abdomen.
14. Timbo - February 19, 2009 11:17 AM
Why is it black?!? Did he try scorching it to stop the bleeding?
Pour some rubbing alchohol on it and it'll be ok.
15. catch22 - February 19, 2009 11:19 AM
woulda been more amusing to find this idiot dead on the floor with the magnets half imbedded in each side of his torso
16. firstgold - February 19, 2009 11:20 AM
ew
17. catch22 - February 19, 2009 11:21 AM
... or one big magnet in the back and a bunch of his little N80's in his chest
18. Professor Honeydew - February 19, 2009 11:22 AM
Magnetism is 6,000 times more powerful than gravity. Duh, don't screw with industrial magnets. Idiot is lucky he doesn't have one embedded in his forehead.
19. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - February 19, 2009 12:03 PM
I have no issue communicating without the use of profanity. Quite frankly, the english language offers much more colorful adjectives. The point being made is simply that in this country, where this blog is hosted, we have freedom of speech. The same freedom of speech that would protect this blogger (GW) in court. I find it rather disingenuous of him to post NSFW content and genitalia jokes, then censor our comments about them.
I had a friend lose the top half of his pinky in a hydraulic winch, it looked similar. Ouch!
20. -Lmega5- - February 19, 2009 12:06 PM
Here you go, son! I brought you some magnets to play with from work! Have fun!
21. Nice Pete - February 19, 2009 12:07 PM
@ 14, I think the black stuff is some kind of hospital-strength liquid bandage, like 'New Skin' but for more serious injuries. It looks like they put a stitch or two in but it would be pretty tough to bandage or fully stitch up such a ragged/irregular wound, especially on the tip of the finger like that.
22. TE - February 19, 2009 12:36 PM
We use them in ion engines. Makes the electrons swirl so nicely.
23. hubbard of the iron keyboard - February 19, 2009 12:48 PM
this reminds me of the time my small puerto rican friend put his hand in a propped door.
then my friend double-foot drop kicked it shut.
his finger 'sploded.
he ahd lots of vicadin,
so he was a funny guy.
24. Watch - February 19, 2009 12:48 PM
if you go on the United Nuclear website, they sell these and warn that these type of magnets have over 300 pounds of pull force if you get them close to one another. it says that a kid got his hand crushed due to 2 of these magnets being in the same room together.
25. Watch - February 19, 2009 12:50 PM
these are magnets for industrial use and scientific experiments, not for amateurs. this guy is lucky he didnt get his hand crushed or worse
26. Kup - February 19, 2009 1:06 PM
this has horror movie written all over it.
27. Magneto - February 19, 2009 1:44 PM
This is why Senator Kelly fears me and my mutant powers. Next time, I'll take off someone's head, or reverse the flow of iron in a human's blood and have it spurt out his ears like a fountain in front of Caesar's Palace.
28. Professor X - February 19, 2009 2:05 PM
#27, Erik, really, you should know better than anyone that iron salts like that in hemaglobin are not significantly influenced by your magnetic fields.
Just because they give you that power in comic books doesn't mean it's real.
29. Daisy - February 19, 2009 2:28 PM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its a fake because the shadow's are all wrong.
This is exactly like that scene in the movie Never Back Down where Max went to the country club and told his friend wong it was a restricted club, he shouldn't let them know he's jewish.
30. Wolverine - February 19, 2009 2:37 PM
Yeah well Prof, your a dick, bub hohohohoh
31. dubba - February 19, 2009 2:39 PM
@26 ... they already did. its called final destination I - IIX
32. Ocelot - February 19, 2009 2:47 PM
Dude those pictures gave me goosebumps.
I got my finger crushed in a car door when I was eight. It turned all blue and purple and my fingernail came off. I thought it was the worst finger injury till I saw this. Ick.
33. Farles Chew - February 19, 2009 3:00 PM
#30, in addition to not knowing the difference between "your" and "you're," you're boring.
Once again, I call on the commenters of this board to actually try to be funny. Really, when the sociopathic troll with tourettes is the cream of the crop, it says sad things about the state of blog commenting.
34. Klem - February 19, 2009 3:15 PM
@ 14 - Speaking from my own experience of a reattached finger, that black part is probably just a mixture of dried blood and stitches.
35. You're a Jerk - February 19, 2009 3:24 PM
@33... Why even bother reading the comments if they're so sophomoric/sociopathic? Wait, unless, YOU are the troll...
Well played, sir. Well played.
36. Farles Chew - February 19, 2009 4:24 PM
@35... Clearly YOU are the troll you lame fat prick.
This story is BS anyway, because if that did happen, those magnets would have shattered.
37. scatze - February 19, 2009 4:30 PM
My question: How the hell are they going to separate the two magnets to get that dude's finger nail? With that kind of Neodymium magnetic force they will never be able to retrieve the nail to re-attach it.
It's not like he can grow another one...that's just crazy.
38. cash4gold - February 19, 2009 6:11 PM
Could you imagine a room with these magnets on the walls, putting somebody in it, and keep tossing little magnets in the middle or something? What a rush that would be...
39. formerly SPELLINGNAZI© - February 19, 2009 6:55 PM
@13: Why, oh why did you have to go there?
@36: Where would the pieces go if they were to shatter? And no they wouldn't, not from 20 inches apart.
I agree with #35, you are the troll.
40. wads - February 19, 2009 7:35 PM
#37
wow lol fingernails do grow back.
and you can just use some kind of vice to slide them apart, or just bang them against the wall or drop them a few times and they'll become easier to pull apart.
41. RSP - February 19, 2009 10:38 PM
Those magnets come from united nuclear, if any one is interested.
http://www.unitednuclear.com/supplies.htm
here is an excerpt from the product listing:
"If carrying one into another room, carefully plan the route you will be taking. Sensitive instruments like computers & monitors will be affected in an entire room. Loose metallic objects and other magnets may become airborne and fly at great speed to attach themselves to these magnets. If you get caught in between the two, you can be severely injured. These magnets will crush bones in the blink of an eye.
Two of these magnets close together can create an almost unbelievable magnetic field that can be incredibly dangerous."
flippin' awesome...
42. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - February 20, 2009 9:13 AM
40 - They won't grow back if the entire nail bed has been ripped off, as it clearly was in this case.
Couldn't you seperate the magnets using bigger, stronger magnets? More horsepower!
43. Pepper - February 20, 2009 11:47 AM
Yeah, I don't think that nail is growing back. It practially ripped off the tip of his finger.
44. Vince Lombardi - February 20, 2009 12:04 PM
I think you could pull them apart using a couple of Chevy 1/2 tons... Let's ask Howie Long.
45. Howie Long - February 20, 2009 12:05 PM
Yes.
46. Vince Lombardi - February 20, 2009 12:06 PM
There you have it.
47. Howie Long - February 20, 2009 12:08 PM
And the guy who lost his nail is a pussy. I once had three fingers snap off in the middle of the third quarter against the Broncos. I just stuffed 'em in my sock and at the end of the game, stapled 'em back on. I'm fine now. C'mon, Magnet Boy, grow a set.
48. Steve - February 21, 2009 12:50 AM
well that sucks. LOL
49. rapidlove - February 22, 2009 10:41 AM
I have joined the site "C e l e b m i n g l e. C 0 M" someone motioned here, though there are really many certified rich guy and beauties, but I feel disappeared because a girl asked me about my annual income,...maybe she is a gold digger?
50. edc - February 22, 2009 7:58 PM
don't worry, rapidlove...
she ain't Messin' with no broke nigguhs.
51. Dirk - July 17, 2009 5:34 PM
Hi... I noticed that this was on the internet. I am the guy who got involved in the magnet accident. The photo's are real and not shopped. My finger was. I will have a new surgery in September.,,,,,, please keep away from these harmfull items... Regards.... Dirk