TV Director Dies in Freak Hedge Trimmer Accident

"One minute we were admiring how straight the hedge was looking and ... the next John was in an ambulance," says the widow of Australian TV director John Clabburn, who died Tuesday after a freak hedge trimmer accident. The 52-year-old was working in his garden when he accidentally cut his arm, severely, with the cordless saw, News.com.au reports. Shocked by the injury, he fell nearly 10 feet off his ladder. His wife heard a branch break and called out to check on him, and he was able to tell her to call an ambulance, trying to stay calm because he knew she was phobic about blood.

She tried to staunch the bleeding with towels as he rolled on the ground. But he was in cardiac arrest due to blood loss by the time paramedics arrived, and he died at a hospital later that night. He had just bought the power tool earlier that day, the Sun reports. Clabburn was the beloved director of shows including Home And Away, Underbelly, Survivor, LoveChild, The Wiggles and Wonderland. 7 News reports tributes are pouring in. Clabburn leaves behind two adult sons. (More Australia stories.)