Hinkle partially severs finger in accident

CLE ELUM — Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, partially severed his finger in a snowplow accident Wednesday night at his Cle Elum home.

He was working with some cables attaching a snow plow to a four-wheeler. One of the cables became snagged, he said. He thought he could fix the snag using his hands but somehow the cable tightened and pulled his finger, partially severing it, he said.

“It just about tore my finger off,” Hinkle said. “It hurt like the dickens.”

The injury was caused to his middle finger on his right hand.

After his finger was cut, he attempted to use his cellphone to call for help but had trouble pulling the cellphone out of his jacket pocket with his injured hand.

“It was kind of funny,” he said laughing.

Eventually he reached a neighbor who drove him to Kittitas Valley Community Hospital where he had surgery at about 11:30 p.m. that night.

“It’s good to have good neighbors in case of an emergency,” Hinkle said.

He was at home in bed by 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

Pins were inserted in his finger to help stabilize it. His finger should be fully healed in about six weeks, he said.

If any of his constituents contact him by e-mail, he will be typing a little slower, Hinkle joked.