A landscaping worker lost part of his thumb after an accident with a portable generator in Hamilton.

The 22-year-old, an employee of Horsfield Landscape & Design, was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital after the incident at the junction of Hamilton’s Court Street and Church Street, but discharged the same day.

Kevin Horsfield, general manager of the firm, said yesterday: “I felt absolutely dreadful. It’s probably the worst industrial accident I have had in 40 years.”

But he added: “He told me twice last night: ‘Don’t worry, Mr Horsfield, it’s just the end of my thumb. It was nowhere near my heart.’”

The accident happened on Tuesday morning.

Mr Horsfield said the employee was working on pavement renovations and upgrades to traffic lights for the City of Hamilton when the “freak accident” happened.

He explained: “He pulled the cord on the generator. The cord recoiled and snatched the end of his thumb off.

“The rope got caught and he didn’t let it go. It was just a silly accident.

“He has been doing the same thing every day for a while, so I am not entirely sure how it happened.

“He was driven into the hospital, fully conscious. He lost the knuckle and the thumbnail.”

A Horsfield employee hit an unmarked 22,000 kilovolt cable last year and knocked out power at the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s Hamilton offices.

Mr Horsfield said: “He came within the thickness of a hair of killing himself. That was far more terrifying.

“This was just very, very unfortunate. It could have happened to anybody.”

A spokeswoman for the City of Hamilton said it had been reported to the Government’s health and safety officer.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said the incident was under investigation.