A farmer had to saw off his own leg with a pocket knife after he became stuck in a piece of machinery.

Kurt Kaser, from Nebraska, was unloading corn before he climbed out of his truck and accidentally stepped on the opening of a grain auger.

The equipment is used to transport grain and has a part inside resembling a large drill-bit.

Mr Kaser said he became caught as the device pulled at his leg, tearing away skin, muscle and tissue.

The farmer, who lives in the village of Pender, told ABC News: “I stepped right in the damn thing. It grabbed hold of me.

“I can remember seeing it start and I go, ‘this ain’t good’.

“And then when my foot was in the there banging around, I was trying to hold my leg, pulling it out, and I said, ‘This is not good’.”

Mr Kaser, who didn’t have his mobile with him, said there was no one around to help and he didn’t know if somebody would come.

He also feared he might pass out as the machine pulled on his leg.

Mr Kaser continued: “I about gave up and said, ‘Whatever happens happens. If it sucks me in all the way, it’s over with’.

“But then, all at once, I thought of my pocket knife.”

The farmer said at one point he nearly dropped the three to four-inch blade into the auger, but once he had a good grip he started sawing off his leg about eight inches below the knee.

Mr Kaser said he doesn’t remember experiencing much pain and he didn’t notice a lot of blood.

He continued: “Adrenaline kicked in so much that I don’t know if it hurt or not.”

Once he had amputated his own leg Mr Kaser had to crawl about 150 to 200 feet on rock and gravel to the nearest phone.

He then contacted one of his sons who relayed the emergency to 911.

A medical helicopter arrived and flew him to a trauma centre about 90 miles away in Lincoln.

He was released from a rehabilitation centre on Friday, but will have to wait for his amputated leg to heal before getting a prosthetic limb.

Mr Kaser admitted that he had cut away part of the auger’s safety screen to make it fit into a space last winter.

He continued: “I’m kind of disappointed in myself that I didn’t think of fixing that thing, or whatever.

“But that’s why they call them accidents I guess.”

The farmer also confessed it was not the first time he had got his limb stuck in an auger, having injured his right leg in one a few years ago.

He continued: “It never broke my leg or took my leg, but it chewed a bunch of muscle and stuff out of it.

“I had that redone.”