The musician was sailing the borrowed vessel near his home in Sydney, Australia, when he caught the ring finger of his left hand in an electric anchor. The power of the device ripped off the appendage while also damaging other parts of his hand.

 

"I will never forget what I saw next as long as I live," Farriss recalled in court. "My hand was covered in rust, blood and mud, but I could see one of my fingers had been severed and the others were disfigured, badly lacerated and bleeding."

 

Farriss was immediately taken to a local hospital where he required 11 hours of surgery. Though doctors were able to reattach the severed finger, it is no longer functional. The guitarist has referred to the event as a “career-ending injury.”

 

He alleges that the defendants – John William Axford and Jill Mary Axford of Sydney-based Church Point Charter – failed to give proper instruction on how to use the equipment and didn't maintain a fully functioning anchor system. Farriss is seeking damages for medical expenses, loss of earnings and future loss of earnings as a result of the injury. The defendants deny the claims, insisting Farriss was given proper instructions but failed to follow them.

 

INXS rose to prominence in the '80s behind hits including “What You Need,” “New Sensation” and “Need You Tonight.”

Farriss originally formed the group alongside his brothers Andrew and Jon, bassist Garry Beers and the late singer Michael Hutchence.

 

Hutchence, who died by suicide in 1997, is the subject of a new documentary titled Mystify. Tim Farriss is among the previous bandmates who appear in the film.