Boy With Reattached Arm Returns Home

Less than two weeks after his arm was severed in an accident, Anthony Tirado, 8, is out of the hospital and back at his family’s Panorama City home.

Anthony was injured July 2 when a rope he was carrying got caught in the rear wheel of a moving car. Surgeons at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood reattached his limb and repaired three damaged nerves.

Dr. Neil Jones, the hospital’s chief hand surgeon, said Anthony’s recovery is progressing smoothly, thanks to his youth and the clean-cut nature of the amputation.

The boy was released from the hospital early Tuesday afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.

“He’s doing fine,” Jones said. “His arm is in a sling and he’s got a little splint on his wrist.”

Jones said the boy has at least an 80% chance of regaining full use of his arm.

For now, however, Anthony should spend his time “sitting in a chair, being quiet, and not doing too much” as his arm continues to heal, said the surgeon.

“He’s been, for the last few days, very stable,” Jones said. “We felt he could do as well at home as he was doing in the hospital.”