Dean Spencer, a worker at the Hilltop Meats plant in Young, New South Wales, Australia, climbed onto a screw conveyor on October 20, 2021, to clear a blockage of processed meat meal. What he didn’t know was that a coworker, unaware he was still on the machine, would turn it back on.
The rotating auger caught his foot and dragged him upward toward a huge hopper several meters above the factory floor. Years later, Spencer explained that his own leg, jammed in the mechanism, stopped the machinery from pulling him further in—something he believes probably saved his life.
He remained conscious for about 45 minutes and helped the rescuers as they worked to free him. He spent nearly two months in hospital: part of his left leg was amputated, and his injuries left him with reduced mobility in his right foot.
Today, with a prosthesis, he has resumed an active life that includes CrossFit and weightlifting. In 2025, Hilltop Meats pleaded guilty to a workplace safety offense and was fined 750,000 Australian dollars (about 490,000 US dollars).
