Firefighters cut carousel to free six-year-old boy's hand in Piotrków Trybunalski
A six-year-old boy underwent surgery after firefighters spent 12 minutes cutting apart a carousel mechanism to free his trapped hand at a playground in Piotrków Trybunalski.
Emergency rescue in Piotrków Trybunalski
On Saturday, 3 October 2026, before 15:30, emergency crews responded to an accident at a municipal playground near Barbórki Street in Piotrków Trybunalski. The playground is situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, close to the Merkury department store. A six-year-old boy was playing at the site in the presence of his parents and sister when his hand slipped into the driving gears of a carousel. After family members realized the trapped hand could not be freed manually, the boy's mother called emergency dispatchers for assistance. Units from the Piotrków Trybunalski fire service arrived on the scene equipped with specialized cutting devices and hydraulic spreaders.
Junior Captain Adam Romas, spokesperson for the Piotrków Trybunalski fire service, described the technical complications faced by the rescue crews during the operation.
It was not easy. There were certain difficulties in loosening the mechanism enough to pull the hand out. Ultimately, decisions were made to cut out certain mechanisms.
Firefighters carried out the mechanical extrication in 12 minutes, using hydraulic spreaders to loosen components before cutting through metal sections of the carousel. While the direct cutting took 12 minutes, emergency personnel remained on the scene for several hours to secure the equipment and assist the family.
- A six-year-old boy traps his hand in a carousel mechanism near Barbórki Street
- Firefighters dismantle parts of the carousel in a 12-minute rescue operation
- Surgeons at a Łódź hospital operate on the child and save one damaged finger
- The boy is transferred to a hospital in Wrocław for a second surgical procedure
Medical treatment and hospital transfer
Following the extrication, firefighters handed the six-year-old over to an on-site emergency medical rescue team. Initial assessments by responders indicated crush injuries to the hand, with responder accounts noting between one and three fingers wedged into the rotating gears.
Dominik Ciach of the Piotrków Trybunalski fire service detailed the initial handover to paramedics.
After arriving at the scene, firefighters using tools and demolition equipment freed the trapped three fingers of the six-year-old boy and handed him over to the medical rescue team that arrived on site.
Paramedics transported the boy to the Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital Research Institute in Łódź for immediate specialized treatment. Surgeons in Łódź operated on the child on Saturday evening, identifying severe damage to two fingers and successfully saving one of them. On Sunday, 4 October, attending physicians authorized the boy's transfer to a hospital in Wrocław, where specialist surgical teams are scheduled to attempt to save his second injured finger.
Playground closure and police inquiry
Following the accident on Saturday afternoon, municipal authorities shut down the playground near Barbórki Street and cordoned off the carousel. The site remains inaccessible to the public while official inspections are underway.
Officers from the Piotrków Trybunalski police opened an investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding how the boy's hand entered the machinery. The inquiry focuses on whether the carousel and its surrounding play structures met all technical safety standards, including whether rotating drive gears had appropriate protective shielding to prevent user contact. Police investigators will also examine maintenance logs and inspection records for the playground to establish if technical defects contributed to the mechanism trapping the child.
