The kite of joy and the plight of a boy: when celebration ends up in amputation!

A 12-year old boy went out on the “Makara Sankranthi” day this January to take part in the kite flying celebration along with his friends. His kite went quite high but unfortunately for him it got entangled with another kite and broke off. The kite along with a bit of thread got stuck in an electrical cable that was passing between the poles next to a building under construction. The boy reached the balcony of this under-construction building to take out his dream kite for which he had spent money and time. When he could not reach the kite, he went for it with an outstretched right hand with left leg touching the ground. Little did he realize that he was going to touch a live wire! In a fraction of a second – his right forearm was charred beyond recognition and he sustained severe burns over the left leg. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to our center for management by reconstructive surgeon. There was no option than to carry out a below-elbow amputation of right forearm.