Dad who arms were crushed in accident has fake limbs fitted - and can now hold sons' hands

A dad whose arms were mangled in a work accident now has prosthetic limbs so he can play with his sons, tie their shoelaces - and hold their hands.

Wells Middleton, 33, was working as a welder when a machine trapped both of his arms inside -- and he lost both hands.

It crushed them and left him requiring over a month in hospital where he underwent more than ten surgeries to salvage as much of his hands as possible.

After missing the birth of his son while in hospital, Wells spent the next three years dealing with the trauma of the accident and learning how to use his prosthetic limbs.

Now, a quick look at his social media posts show a loving father-of-two relearning how to interact with the world.

The Mississippi dad can be seen attending his children's sports games, gardening with his sons, and even managing to tie his eldest son's shoelaces.

For Wells, his wife Lacey, and their two young sons, life after the accident has been difficult - but Wells says his family have been everything to him during his recovery.

Since the accident, Wells has made massive progress in his adjustments – he has been learning how to grab objects, go on shopping trips, and has even been able to hold his children’s hands again.

“My wife was nine months pregnant at the time, and she was at the baby doctor that day,” said Wells.

“I was working around the machine, and the next thing I knew, I felt it grab my left hand and start pulling me in.

“Out of instinct, I immediately reached in with my right hand to try to pull it out.

“That’s when it caught both hands and started pulling me in and crushing my hands at the same time – I just started screaming.

“I had fingers missing – some fingers were just bones. The skin on my left hand to my elbow was ripped off and hanging down to my belt loops.

“I could see all the muscle around my forearms in my left arm. My right hand was flatter than a pancake, with fingers missing.

“A week after the accident, my wife had the baby, and I wasn’t there to see it – we did a FaceTime call over an iPad.

“I did really miss home – I missed my kids and my wife.

“I was wrapped up in bandages, so I didn't know what the extent of my injury was so but for the most part at the hospital, I was pretty positive just because I was excited to be alive.

“I couldn’t have known that I wouldn’t be able to hold my kids’ hands anymore or throw a ball around with them or anything like that.”

Wells’ accident happened in August of 2020, and decided to fully amputate his hands at his doctor’s recommendation in January 2021.

Initially heartbroken about the thought of never holding his children again, Wells became determined to master the use of his prosthetic arms in order to make sure he can still play with his sons.

Since learning how to use prosthetics, Wells has been able to relearn how to grab and hold objects again – and most importantly, how to hold hands with his children again.