An Australian television director died in a strange gardening accident – cutting his hand with a new chain saw while mowing the hedges at home.
John Clabburn, 52 – who has worked on such Australian television series as “Home and Away” and “Underbelly” – is clearing the tall conifer hedge in the yard of his family’s home on the north bank of Sydney, on April 6, when he cut his hand with a cordless saw he had just bought that day, his wife told the Daily Telegraph.
Clabburn fell down the ladder, falling 10 feet to the ground – and suffered a fatal cardiac arrest due to blood loss from the severed hand.
“When I went out into the back garden, he was crawling on his stomach,” said Clabburn’s wife, Melissa. “There was so much blood that he was squeezing his torso.
“I continued to receive towels to stop the flow, but the blood didn’t stop.”
“All she said was, ‘Call an ambulance now,'” she said.
“One minute I was admiring how straight the hedge looked and what a wonderful job it had done – it was so meticulous, it had a great eye for detail – the next, John was in an ambulance.
“He held her together for me, but I know she would have had incredible pain,” she said.
Several of Clabburn’s industry colleagues went on social media following the tragedy to honor their friend.
Actor “Les Norton” Hunter Page-Lochard posted on Twitter, “It was an honor to work with you … Whether you’re a boss anywhere in heaven.”
Clabburn is survived by his wife and two sons.
