Between a rock ...

SURVIVAL

Anyone familiar with this astonishing story may be interested in the Constitution State's latest tale of a death defying escape.

Jon Metz popped some lobster in the microwave June 7 and went down to his basement for what he thought would be 15 minutes of boiler maintenance.

He dropped the vacuum attachment and reached in to retrieve it, but his left arm got stuck. Metz couldn't get it out.

So began nearly three days of horror for Metz, who decided to cut off his blood-choked arm with a saw once it began decaying. He had almost succeeded when police found him in his Taylor Road basement Wednesday afternoon, summoned by a friend who had been puzzled by his unexplained absence.

Calling his story one of survival, a doctor from Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center said Metz, 31, saved his own life. By cutting off most of his arm, he kept its toxins from spreading. He is in good spirits as he continues to recover from an operation Friday to close the wound. Paramedics had to complete the amputation when Metz was rescued; his arm could not be reattached.

It's certainly an amazing story, and its moral may be that friends are invaluable.