Man recovering after leg severed

By CHELSEY POLLOCK
Union Leader Correspondent
WINDHAM -- A Dover man whose leg was amputated during a work-related accident Thursday has been upgraded to serious condition in a Boston hospital.
Steve Harriman, 41, of 21 Grove St., was initially listed in critical condition, after he was struck by a piece of metal from an above-ground pool, severing his right leg just below the knee, fire officials said.
But a spokeswoman for Boston Medical Center said Friday afternoon that Harriman’s condition had improved to “serious.” Bill Hall of Durham, a friend of Harriman, said the father of three is expected to remain in the Boston hospital through the middle of next week.
“He should return to New Hampshire in the middle of next week for rehab,” said Hall. Hall said that efforts to reattach Harriman’s severed limb were unsuccessful. “There was no chance of that,” he said.
According to Windham Fire Chief Tom McPherson, Harriman was working as a contractor at 94 Lowell Road in Windham, where he was draining and dismantling an above-ground pool filled with ice and water.
Just before 1 p.m., McPherson said, the sides of the pool apparently gave way, and Harriman was struck with a piece of metal siding. Emergency responders found Harriman conscious and lying face down in the rear of the property with a complete amputation of his right leg below the knee.
Harriman was airlifted to Boston from nearby Griffin Park on Range Road about 1:30 p.m., said McPherson.Hall said that Harriman, who lives in Dover with his 14year-old son, maintains numerous foreclosed properties around the state. Harriman’s two younger children live in Massachusetts with his exwife, Hall said.
“Steve will work through this,” said Hall. “He’ll do anything, but it’s a terrible blow.”