“One minute you have an arm”: William Sayers brings farm safety message to Ballyeaston

William Sayers

A powerful first-hand account of the dangers faced on Northern Ireland’s farms will be shared in Ballyeaston tomorrow night, as William Sayers addresses a Farm Health and Safety talk hosted by the Ballyeaston Vintage Tractor Club.

The free event takes place on Friday 6 February at 7.30pm, at 19 Trenchill Road, Ballyeaston, BT39 9SJ, with tea and refreshments served and everyone welcome.

Organisers say the evening is aimed at farmers, families and the wider rural community, with a particular focus on preventing avoidable accidents.

Mr Sayers’ story is one that has left a lasting impression across the farming sector. He was just 12 years old when his life changed forever on Easter Monday 1990, while helping on the family farm near Donemana, County Tyrone.

Determined to finish slurry-spreading, he was checking how a tanker was filling when the unzipped coat he was wearing became caught in the fast-moving power take-off (PTO) shaft. Within seconds, his right arm was torn away.

Speaking to BBC News NI in an interview in April 2025, Mr Sayers described the moment with stark clarity:

“One minute you have an arm, and the next minute you have none.”

He recalled getting to his feet after the accident and realising the scale of what had happened.

“I got up on my feet, and I remember looking down, and there was only socks and underwear on.

Then I looked round to run and could see my arm lying on the ground, and I knew it was my arm.”

The accident brought an abrupt end to a childhood dream. Mr Sayers had expected to become the fifth generation of his family to take over the farm, a plan his father had carefully prepared for.

“My father had this place all set up for me,” he said.

“He would step out and I would step in, I came back to try to farm after the hospital time and with one arm, it’s just not possible.

“So therefore his plans were shelved as well, which I felt really sorry about.”

The trauma was felt far beyond the farmyard. Mr Sayers also spoke of the moment his family first realised something was terribly wrong.

“I could see my sister looking out the window, and she told my father inside the house that I’d walked past with one arm,” he said.

“I could see my mother and another friend standing at the door with that hand over their mouth and that expression: ‘What has happened? Will I see him again? Does he know I still love him? I can’t even give him a kiss goodbye.’”

The tragedy was compounded by family history: Mr Sayers’ father had also lost a limb in a farm accident, losing a leg at the age of two.

Despite the severity of his injuries, Mr Sayers went on to build a new life and now works full-time in agricultural machinery sales. However, the impact of the accident stayed with him in everyday ways.

“I still remember clapping about a week before at school – I would never clap again. I would never write with my right hand again, and I was right-handed,” he said.

“I had to learn to do my ties and my shoes. How would I button a shirt? How would I zip a coat?

“I was able to cope with it very well mentally, but that’s not always the case.

“I was one of the fortunate ones.”

Now, 36 years on, Mr Sayers volunteers as an ambassador for the Farm Safety Foundation, sharing his experience in the hope of preventing others from suffering similar, life-altering injuries.

His message remains particularly relevant. Agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries in Northern Ireland, with around half of all workplace deaths in 2023/24 occurring on farms.

With the majority of the region’s 26,000 farms being small, family-run operations, risks can be heightened when people work alone or with limited resources.

Ballyeaston Vintage Tractor Club said it was “delighted” to welcome Mr Sayers and encouraged people of all ages to attend, describing the talk as both sobering and vital.

Tomorrow night’s event aims to turn personal tragedy into a life-saving lesson — reminding those who live and work in rural communities that a moment’s inattention around machinery can have consequences that last a lifetime.