Boy’s Arm Successfully Reattached

An 8-year-old Arleta boy remained in critical condition Friday after about 6 1/2 hours of surgery to reattach his right arm, which was pulled off when a rope he had coiled around it got caught in the wheels of his mother’s car, the UCLA Medical Center said.

Anthony Tirado was brought to the hospital Thursday night with a complete “above-elbow amputation,” said hospital spokeswoman Craeige Wennstrom.

“A team of UCLA hand surgeons and microsurgeons was able to successfully reattach the limb, connecting all nerves and restoring circulation to the arm and hand,” Wennstrom said.

The accident occurred about 4:30 p.m. in front of the boy’s home in the 9200 block of Cedros Avenue, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis.

The boy had coiled a half-inch plastic rope around his arm, and the loose end became tangled in one of the family car’s wheels, Collis said. The boy’s mother, who apparently did not see the rope, drove away, and the boy’s arm was torn off about three inches below the shoulder.

Mirna Ruiz, 18, who lives next door, said she ran outside when she heard the mother’s screams and the screech of the car skidding to a stop.

The boy was flown to the hospital by helicopter.