# near decapitation!



## Tim Krause (Apr 5, 2007)

a co-worker was doing some side work on the weekend. he knew enough to get into trouble. he was removing several large trees. he was dropping the last stick across the sticks already on the ground. as the stick came in contact with the ones on the ground it broke the hinge and kicked the butt up in the air. it caught him right under the jaw. it threw him back and cut the vein in the side of his neck. he lost so much blood he nearly died.


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## BostonBull (Apr 5, 2007)

What a story. I am always worried about this when felling on un-even terrain. I have had some close ones, where I couldnt get away from them fast enough......scary stuff.
Will he be OK? Paralyzed?


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## clearance (Apr 5, 2007)

Good he made it. You are supposed to have two escape paths at 45 degrees away from the intended fall. As soon as the tree starts to go over you are to quickly move at least ten feet away. This means clear paths, free from anything that could trip you up. Sometimes I finish the backcut with one hand on the saw, it gives me an extra step right now. If you are actuually falling, not just cutting down a couple of trees in someones backyard you should (must in B.C.) be wearing caulks.


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## rmihalek (Apr 6, 2007)

The hinge was probably broken before the falling tree hit the ones on the ground. Sounds like he was standing at the stump watching the tree fall!


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## Boa07 (Apr 6, 2007)

That's what I was taught, hammered home in fact *don't stand at the stump use the escape route every time*


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## adam (Apr 6, 2007)

Boa07 said:


> That's what I was taught, hammered home in fact *don't stand at the stump use the escape route every time*



And clear your escape route! I was felling a willow in the creek bed once, terrain was perfectly flat with no obstacles, just covered with dead long grass flattened by the flood. When I was walking away from the falling tree, I tripped on one small stump hidden in the grass, fell on another one and broke two ribs. You can laugh now.


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## Boa07 (Apr 6, 2007)

Don't sweat it I think we've all done similar (at least I have!)


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## John Paul Sanborn (Apr 7, 2007)

adam said:


> You can laugh now.



In John Ball's talk on OSHA stats of our trade, he has one where a guy ran out of gas after making his knotch. He set the saw down and filled it right there in front of the big face cut.

Needless to say, the stem failed at the face...


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## adam (Apr 8, 2007)

Long time ago I used to work in state owned forests in Poland and read forestry newsletter called "The Voice of the Forest". Last page was devoted to accindents in the forest industry. One of them was really bizzare, guys were clearing uprooted trees, one of them went to releive himself behind the roots, while the other cut off the tree from the stump. Root mass went back to the ground, burying poor guy completely. His body was found few days later...


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## Tim Krause (Apr 9, 2007)

BostonBull said:


> What a story. I am always worried about this when felling on un-even terrain. I have had some close ones, where I couldnt get away from them fast enough......scary stuff.
> Will he be OK? Paralyzed?



he lost a lot of blood. he ran in the customers house to get help, he made a big mess inside. he came back to work with a big scar under his jaw bone. he had lost so much blood that it was hard for him to stay warm. it took his body a while to get the blood level back to normal.


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## ropensaddle (Apr 10, 2007)

Escape route essential ! I always plan escape but never turn my back to tree being felled, I back away watching everything; was felling timber many moons ago and tree was being felled between two other trees Had planned escape and turned and ran planned direction tree hit ground and somehow catapulted limb back my way landed beside me I was twenty feet away from stump. I have seen other limbs get done this way falling in woods but the limb that seeked me out came from the tree I was cutting as there was plenty room between trees!! Witnesses said tree hit ground looked like limb hit a spring and was shot back my direction so I never turn my back. Glad this feller survived butts usually 
are not good crush or fatally wound victim!!


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## clearance (Apr 10, 2007)

Tim Krause said:


> he lost a lot of blood. he ran in the customers house to get help, he made a big mess inside. he came back to work with a big scar under his jaw bone. he had lost so much blood that it was hard for him to stay warm. it took his body a while to get the blood level back to normal.



Do you guys have pressure bandages on you? Mine is always in my hardhat, I know this is 'wrong', I d.g.a.f. I know where it is always. When I cut my arm I had it out right now, wasn't in another shirt or something.


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## Highclimber OR (Apr 10, 2007)

I think that everyone that has dropped trees for a while has at some point has seen a tree do something unexpected. Every tree is a little different and you just can't predict what it will do once it makes contact with either the ground or another tree or you name it. Almost all of us have had a pretty close call or two, and it is always sad to hear about someone almost losing their life and I 'm real glad the guy made it. We all need to remember that this business were in, weather you Log or do trees for a living can be a very dangerous and sometimes fatal. I grew up in this business and have heard and known about many unfortunate incidences over the years, and we should never forget that safety is primary and it doesn't matter if you're a rookie or a vet. Thanks for sharing this post.


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