NC teen recovering after doctors reattach severed arm

CLEMMONS, N.C. — A Clemmons, North Carolina 13-year-old is recovering after surgeons reattached his severed arm following an accident while playing in the snow.

Tyler Hughes' left arm was sliced in half when the roll bar of a utility vehicle fell on top of him last winter.

Two of Tyler's friends somehow managed to lift the 1,100-pound UTV, freeing his arm.

But with his heavy-duty coat covering the severity of the injury, Tyler's mom could only imagine what was underneath.

Doctors say what she did next with her scarf saved Tyler's arm and his life.

"I tied it around there twice until I heard the yarn breaking," said Crystal Hughes. "If you think somebody has an injury and you think they could be bleeding don't question it, just tie it off because you can live with a bruise, but you can't live without your blood."

After eight hours in the operating room, a doctor was able to fix the fractured bones, restore blood flow and take veins from Tyler's leg to fix his arm.