Teenager's arm severed by pasta machine at New York restaurant

17-year-old Brett Bouchard is in a serious condition in hospital after his arm became caught while he was cleaning the machine

A teenager is in a serious condition in hospital after severing his arm at the elbow while working at an Italian restaurant in New York state.

17-year-old Brett Bouchard was cleaning a pasta machine when his right arm got caught in the contraption at Violi's Restaurant in Massena on the Canadian border.

He was airlifted to Massena Memorial Hospital before being flown to Massachusetts General Hospital for surgery, following the accident at about 8.30pm on Thursday night.

A spokeswoman told The Associated Press that the teenager remained in a serious condition on Sunday morning.

Mr Bouchard had been registered as being in a critical condition when he was first admitted.

Restaurant manager Mia Violi told The Watertown Daily Times that employees are trying to figure out how the machine got activated while Mr Bouchard was cleaning it.

“There’s a lot of prayers going out to him,” she said.

It's not yet clear whether the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the accident.

Additional reporting by agencies