The 66-year-old Ardlethan man was in a rear shed of his home using a four-inch angle grinder when the chair he was sitting on collapsed on Saturday night. 

The angle grinder slipped from his hand and slashed his chest, causing a severe laceration and coming dangerously close to his heart.

Covered in blood and in a moment of panic, the man attempted to grab it from his chest with his left hand – but it only made things worse. 

The grinder then slashed across his hand and caused another serious gash. 

Leaving behind a trail of blood as he continued to lose a significant amount, the man was forced to walk back to his home and make the call to emergency services.

While waiting for them to arrive, he became critical. 

“He lost a substantial amount of blood while making his way to his home,” Wagga police duty officer, Inspector Peter McLay, said.

The man was then rushed one hour to Wagga Rural Referral Hospital in a “critical but stable condition”.

There, he was stabilised by hospital staff. 

“The man was stabilised and transferred by helicopter to Canberra Hospital in the early hours of (Sunday) morning,” a Murrumbidgee Local Health District spokeswoman confirmed.

Inspector McLay told the Advertiser it appeared the man lived on his own. 

“His relatives have been informed of the accident,” Inspector McLay said.