- Jordyn Martin, 21, lost three fingers to an ice cream machine after a hand got caught, reports say.
- A GoFundMe is taking a dark humor approach, asking donors to "lend a hand."
The family of a Cold Stone Creamery employee is asking the public to "lend a hand" after the woman reportedly lost three fingers while cleaning an ice cream machine at work.
Jordyn Martin, a 21-year-old who worked at a Cold Stone Creamery in Corvallis, Oregon, was in a workplace incident on March 15 that left her with only seven fingers, the Corvallis Gazette-Times reported. According to the local news, Martin's hand was mangled by an ice cream machine after a towel she was holding got caught in its rotors.
But now, Martin's family is finding a dark humor in the injury with a GoFundMe fundraiser created by an individual claiming to be her sister. It's received nearly $7,000 in donations as of Sunday afternoon with a goal of $10,000.
"In memory of Jordyn's fingers please lend a hand," the fundraiser is titled.
A spokesperson for Cold Stone Creamery provided multiple news outlets with the following statement:
"We are aware of the unfortunate accident that occurred in a Corvallis, Oregon store and are investigating the matter further," it read. "We care about the well-being of all employees and are committed to prioritizing workplace safety, as well as supporting all our franchisees in doing the same in the restaurants they own and operate."
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed with local news that it has opened an investigation into the bloody incident that prompted other shop employees to quit over safety concerns.
"The rag had pulled her hand in, so that rag wrapped around her fingers and pulled her fingers off until there was pummeled bone and blood all inside of the machine," Cold Stone employee Emily Kilpatrick told KOIN 6. "The fingers were wrapped in the mangled rag."
"We didn't know that the machine we were using was even capable of doing something like that. We thought it was completely safe to use and to clean, even when running," Kilpatrick said to KOIN 6.
According to Martin's fundraiser description, her dominant hand was hurt, and doctors were unable to reattach the amputated digits during surgery. Fox Business reported that she's sought out legal counsel and filed a workers' compensation claim.