TEHRAN A 13-year-old boy from Crane, Oregon, whose right arm had been cut off by farm machinery drove, himself to a friend's house where he was picked up by an ambulance, the newspaper Oregonian reported recently. Michael Adam's arm had been severed midway between his shoulder and his elbow. The boy carried the limb to his four-wheel ATV (all terrain vehicle) and drove towards town, DPA reported But since he could only steer with one hand, the 13-year-old rolled over with his vehicle and had to walk to a shed where another ATV was stored, to which the boy also happened to have keys.

After another crash shortly before reaching town, Michael walked the last stretch to a friend's house, where his first request was for a glass of water. The horrified residents immediately called an ambulance, and after the medical workers had tended to the boy, they also carefully preserved his severed limb in a cooler. After being airlifted to a special clinic in Portland, Oregon, the boy was immediately wheeled into emergency surgery, where doctors reattached the arm.

After two operations, Michael's chances of regaining at least some control of the arm are good, his doctor said. Local residents of Crane praised the boy's courage and collheadedness under extreme conditions. Michael is the youngest of seven children in a family of Alfalfa farmers.