# What was your worst injury?



## mndlawn

What was your worst injury?


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## brisawyer

Got into a 48" circular saw at the mill. I was being dumb doing something i had done 1000 times. I reached up by the blade to get bark Pinkie got trapped between the spinning blade and another part. I was trying to yank the pinkie out and get the helper to kill the engine my shoulder got into the blade. Cut was to the bone 1/4 wide at bottom and 1-1/4 wide at the top I lost a bunch of muscle. Surgery a bunch of stitches inside and 27 staples outside. I was back to work in 30 days.http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=123385&stc=1&d=1264792387


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## mndlawn

Thats a heck of a scar, wow.


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## brisawyer

That was a couple days after I got home. It happened sep7 2004. I got really lucky, only problem it gives is when I rake a lot.


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## pdqdl

Let's see, this could get long:

*On the job? *

4 days in the burn unit at KU: gasoline shot all over me from inside the cylinders of an engine. The spark plug lit it up at top dead center.

Then there was the face full of boiling water from the cross flow radiator. My entire face and top right chest were totally blistered. I even had blisters in the top corners of each ear and the inside of both nostrils. Eyes? Not burned at all! I had a nice "squint pattern" of unburned skin! [Yes! I did release the pressure off the radiator cap first, but nothing came out! ??? It was apparently defective in some way]

While showing an employee how it is done, I POUNDED a steel splitting wedge down into an oak log. It leaped back out in a graceful arc and chopped the web between my thumb and first finger. (back when I had them)

*Private life*

Motorcyle wreck1: broken elbow, surgical pins. Broke it again the day after the pin was removed. 1976
Motorcyle wreck2:broken knee, clavicle, scapula 1980?
Motorcyle wreck3: 2 crushed lumbar vertebra, broken pelvis, atomized ankle. _This was my worst injury; done in 1982, my first year in business_

Head injury from a thug: subdural hematoma with parietal skull fracture, loss of hearing on left ear, loss of taste on left side of tongue. ICU for about 5 days,I left the hospital in about 9 days 1991 
_Head injuries are no fun guys! Wear those hard hats! Once you loose some hearing like I have you will appreciate hearing protection, too.
_
Shop wood planer: Careless, I cut off my right thumb and first finger.2000

2008: head-on auto collision with an idiot in my lane. Broke my neck in two places.

I got more surgeries too, but they aren't so bad as these!


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## 056 kid

TKOed by a sprung hickory.

I get head aches & my left ear always rings. . .

It happened allmost 3 years ago


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## 056 kid

pdqdl said:


> Let's see, this could get long:
> 
> *On the job? *
> 
> 4 days in the burn unit at KU: gasoling shot all over me from inside the cylinders of an engine. The spark plug lit it up at top dead center.
> 
> Then there was the face full of boiling water from the cross flow radiator. My entire face and top right chest were totally blistered. I even had blisters in the top corners of each ear and the inside of both nostrils. Eyes? Not burned at all! I had a nice "squint pattern" of unburned skin! [Yes! I did release the pressure off the radiator cap first, but nothing came out! ??? It was apparently defective in some way]
> 
> While showing an employee how it is done, I POUNDED a steel splitting wedge down into an oak log. It leaped back out in a graceful arc and chopped the web between my thumb and first finger. (back when I had them)
> 
> *Private life*
> 
> Motorcyle wreck1: broken elbow, surgical pins. Broke it again the day after the pin was removed. 1976
> Motorcyle wreck2:broken knee, clavicle, scapula 1980?
> Motorcyle wreck3: 2 crushed lumbar vertebra, broken pelvis, atomized ankle. _This was my worst injury; done in 1982, my first year in business_
> 
> Head injury from a thug: subdural hematoma with parietal skull fracture, loss of hearing on left ear, loss of taste on left side of tongue. 1991
> 
> Shop wood planer: Careless, I cut off my right thumb and first finger.2000
> 
> 2008: head-on auto collision with an idiot in my lane. Broke my neck in two places.
> 
> I got more surgeries too, but they aren't so bad as these!



:jawdrop: and:rockn:. thats all i can say here


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## DroppedP51

burst hydraulic hose shootin found like a serpent,
Doctors Took end off left thumb,


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## EdenT

pdqdl said:


> Let's see, this could get long:
> 
> *On the job? *
> 
> 4 days in the burn unit at KU: gasoling shot all over me from inside the cylinders of an engine. The spark plug lit it up at top dead center.
> 
> Then there was the face full of boiling water from the cross flow radiator. My entire face and top right chest were totally blistered. I even had blisters in the top corners of each ear and the inside of both nostrils. Eyes? Not burned at all! I had a nice "squint pattern" of unburned skin! [Yes! I did release the pressure off the radiator cap first, but nothing came out! ??? It was apparently defective in some way]
> 
> While showing an employee how it is done, I POUNDED a steel splitting wedge down into an oak log. It leaped back out in a graceful arc and chopped the web between my thumb and first finger. (back when I had them)
> 
> *Private life*
> 
> Motorcyle wreck1: broken elbow, surgical pins. Broke it again the day after the pin was removed. 1976
> Motorcyle wreck2:broken knee, clavicle, scapula 1980?
> Motorcyle wreck3: 2 crushed lumbar vertebra, broken pelvis, atomized ankle. _This was my worst injury; done in 1982, my first year in business_
> 
> Head injury from a thug: subdural hematoma with parietal skull fracture, loss of hearing on left ear, loss of taste on left side of tongue. 1991
> 
> Shop wood planer: Careless, I cut off my right thumb and first finger.2000
> 
> 2008: head-on auto collision with an idiot in my lane. Broke my neck in two places.
> 
> I got more surgeries too, but they aren't so bad as these!



And you still go outside? :jawdrop:


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## pdqdl

Sure! I have had everything happen to me already. What's to worry about?


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## clearance

pdqdl said:


> Sure! I have had everything happen to me already. What's to worry about?



Nothing. You win this thread, I have been hurt bad a few times, but you take the cake. You the man.:rockn:


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## EdenT

pdqdl said:


> Then there was the face full of boiling water from the cross flow radiator. My entire face and top right chest were totally blistered. I even had blisters in the top corners of each ear and the inside of both nostrils. Eyes? Not burned at all! I had a nice "squint pattern" of unburned skin! [Yes! I did release the pressure off the radiator cap first, but nothing came out! ??? It was apparently defective in some way]



When opening radiator caps, squeeze the top radiator hose with your hand. If you can squeeze it and it's hot open carefully. If you can't squeeze it and it's hot, don't open the cap. A trick my Dad taught me.


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## pdqdl

Yeah...I know that now.

When I got radiator burned, it was mostly because I was trying to prove a point. I had just paid some jackleg mechanics to fix an engine, and it was still overheating badly. They drove it around the block, and said " no problem, see?"

I said "BS!, see for yourself!" Even though I turned it to the vent position, I was not being very careful. After I got out of the spray and turned around to watch, that car was still shooting hot water over the garage roof.

That was many years ago when I was much more hardened [young and stupid?]. I never even went to the doctor on that little incident. Outcome? No infections, no scars on my face, it only scarred my arm a little bit where the t-shirt sleeve held the heat against my skin too long. It felt like a really good slap in the face at first, but was pretty sticky and unpleasant for the next month.

Summertime 1983


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## pdqdl

*Ooops. I forgot some on-the-job injuries*

I broke three ribs in a minor fall in a tree once. I didn't even know it until hours after the incident. This was longer to heal and more painful than either of the later rib injuries. [No, I never went to the doctor]

I broke a couple of ribs running a walk-behind mower with a ride-on sulky: I crashed into a stump and stopped real short. [never went to the doctor]

I broke a rib or two when I got knocked out of a tree when the lowering rope got stuck in a narrow crotch. I was squealing like a little girl: "Let go of the rope!" It didn't help. Groundman was NOT at fault. [never went to the doctor]

Broken ribs aren't hardly worth worrying about. They hurt for a while, but you get over them in about a month. I guess some folks get perforated lungs, but that is pretty uncommon.


Come on now guys! I know some of you have been hammered on the job! Let's hear about it.


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## derwoodii

Nope 30 years sawing trees nuthin than knocking me collar bone about of place. I'm real care-full I get a scratch and sook for weeks.
This little rip is still not quiet healed. Looks neat but was about 1/2inch deep. Its the bandage that will get a laugh.
http://www.arboristsite.com/showpost.php?p=1643976&postcount=34
Your way tuffa than me PDQDL taking all the hits for all the team.


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## wigglesworth

A guy at work this week lost his pinky and most likely will have limited use of his left arm. A 10 hp motor with a 50 pound fan blade + Left arm = Bad day.


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## Treetom

*I broke my...*

Never mind. We have a winner. 



pdqdl said:


> Let's see, this could get long:
> 
> *On the job? *
> 
> 4 days in the burn unit at KU: gasoline shot all over me from inside the cylinders of an engine. The spark plug lit it up at top dead center.
> 
> Then there was the face full of boiling water from the cross flow radiator. My entire face and top right chest were totally blistered. I even had blisters in the top corners of each ear and the inside of both nostrils. Eyes? Not burned at all! I had a nice "squint pattern" of unburned skin! [Yes! I did release the pressure off the radiator cap first, but nothing came out! ??? It was apparently defective in some way]
> 
> While showing an employee how it is done, I POUNDED a steel splitting wedge down into an oak log. It leaped back out in a graceful arc and chopped the web between my thumb and first finger. (back when I had them)
> 
> *Private life*
> 
> Motorcyle wreck1: broken elbow, surgical pins. Broke it again the day after the pin was removed. 1976
> Motorcyle wreck2:broken knee, clavicle, scapula 1980?
> Motorcyle wreck3: 2 crushed lumbar vertebra, broken pelvis, atomized ankle. _This was my worst injury; done in 1982, my first year in business_
> 
> Head injury from a thug: subdural hematoma with parietal skull fracture, loss of hearing on left ear, loss of taste on left side of tongue. ICU for about 5 days,I left the hospital in about 9 days 1991
> _Head injuries are no fun guys! Wear those hard hats! Once you loose some hearing like I have you will appreciate hearing protection, too.
> _
> Shop wood planer: Careless, I cut off my right thumb and first finger.2000
> 
> 2008: head-on auto collision with an idiot in my lane. Broke my neck in two places.
> 
> I got more surgeries too, but they aren't so bad as these!


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## Ghillie

pdqdl said:


> Let's see, this could get long:
> 
> *On the job? *
> 
> 4 days in the burn unit at KU: gasoline shot all over me from inside the cylinders of an engine. The spark plug lit it up at top dead center.
> 
> Then there was the face full of boiling water from the cross flow radiator. My entire face and top right chest were totally blistered. I even had blisters in the top corners of each ear and the inside of both nostrils. Eyes? Not burned at all! I had a nice "squint pattern" of unburned skin! [Yes! I did release the pressure off the radiator cap first, but nothing came out! ??? It was apparently defective in some way]
> 
> While showing an employee how it is done, I POUNDED a steel splitting wedge down into an oak log. It leaped back out in a graceful arc and chopped the web between my thumb and first finger. (back when I had them)
> 
> *Private life*
> 
> Motorcyle wreck1: broken elbow, surgical pins. Broke it again the day after the pin was removed. 1976
> Motorcyle wreck2:broken knee, clavicle, scapula 1980?
> Motorcyle wreck3: 2 crushed lumbar vertebra, broken pelvis, atomized ankle. _This was my worst injury; done in 1982, my first year in business_
> 
> Head injury from a thug: subdural hematoma with parietal skull fracture, loss of hearing on left ear, loss of taste on left side of tongue. ICU for about 5 days,I left the hospital in about 9 days 1991
> _Head injuries are no fun guys! Wear those hard hats! Once you loose some hearing like I have you will appreciate hearing protection, too.
> _
> Shop wood planer: Careless, I cut off my right thumb and first finger.2000
> 
> 2008: head-on auto collision with an idiot in my lane. Broke my neck in two places.
> 
> I got more surgeries too, but they aren't so bad as these!



After reading that, I got nothing to complain about. Makes my hand injury with a chainsaw seem insignificant.


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## EdenT

:agree2:



pdqdl said:


> Yeah...I know that now.



I figured you would pdqdl, it was more for anyone else reading this post. 

I am with the guys above. I have had no injuries that even slightly compare to what you have survived. I'm pretty sure that your amongst your other titles you would be the AS 'King of Pain'. 



Take care Your Majesty
You have won already.


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## pdqdl

Nope. Not the king of pain at all. I didn't really post all that to "win" anything at all. I just figured you guys would like to hear about somebody else's misfortunes. Something like the old saying "_Misery likes company_"? I guess I do have a pretty rugged background in putting up with injuries, though, don't I?

I think it has to do with having a much higher tolerance for pain. I think when stuff doesn't hurt you too much, you don't have the same fear of injuries. _ALL of my motorcycle wrecks were preventable except one, and I didn't tell you about all 13 of them._

Ok. Enough about me. Other readers: chime in with your stories. Particularly colorful or stupid injuries will be most appreciated!


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## outofmytree

I am afraid I have very few tough guy tales. 

Stupid things I have done however......

In chronological order

Throwing steel roof sheets into the wind when 15 (apprenctice) I slice my hand to the bone. Got yelled at for bleeding red on a white roof.

Stepped over some scrap steel in the workshop and scraped skin of my right shin. Got infected and spent 10 days in hospital. Came within an ace of losing the leg... 

Stood on a *chair* to install an OBD (air vent) in a ceiling. Lost my balance, fell onto a pile of steel OBDs and slashed my wrist. Arterial bleeding is only entertaining when it is someone elses. Got in trouble for bleeding red on a blue carpet.

Welding aluminium gussets into a new fuel tank without long pants on. Got 2nd degree burns to the family jewels. Easily the most uncomfortable week of my life up to that point, including the time I spilled mineral turpentine and paint stripper down my pants whilst stripping glue from a locomotive.

Fast forward a few years and rolling my cylinder mower down a trailer ramp on to my own driveway I slip on some sand and fall forward over the machine whilst pushing the handle down with my hands. The catcher on the front swings over the top and smacks me on the scone (NO FRIGGING HARDHAT) and splits my skull. Funniest thing is me standing out the front calling my wife to bring an old towel and refusing to come in cos we had new carpet laid and I KNOW how hard it is to get red bloodstains out of blue carpet.

Recently got smacked down hard by a 5-6 metre log swinging around whilst going in to the chipper. I _THOUGHT_ I was far enough away....

In all, like I said, no tough guy stories but plenty of how-dumb-do-you-feel-now moments.


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## RVALUE

I plead the 5 th here. It seems the 'winner' is actually the loser.

pdqdl may very well be a long lost brother of mine. Pd, do you get those pesky 'splits' in your remaining fingers? They hurt like the ####ens. I finally after too many years found some cream that fixes them. (Ease up boys,)

So as not to be 'trimmmed',  I should return to the thread.

I've seemed to have had a few misfortunes, however I am very blessed to be walking and breathing.


And yes, this would be an edited post, because of my not being an accountant, I don't have a record of all the incidents.

Besides the unusual, regular dings of growing up and old, I have had a few physical setbacks. I had a new custom 270 (2 shots fired at the range) and then off for a deer drive, fall from leaning on the spare tire, go off (Safety wouldn't engage due to improper bedding to synthetic stock) and either bullet shrapnel or rocks or both hit me in both legs. I was immediately up-ended and landed on my head. Brand new pair of redwings, too. Got over that one in less than a year of hobbling. 

Then, I was breaking three 'rules' on my table saw (High, wide dado; no table insert), and cutting the edge of hard maple FROM THE REAR of the blade. It flipped, FAST and took off my left thumb, and fileted me to the wrist / palm. There was 6 months where there was raw flesh. But it grew back well and really isn't a hindrance. This is where I learned the time of sympathy. I was building a cabinet for the writers of Knots Landing, and I called their contractor and told him I wouldn't deliver in the morning. "Oh son, that's terrible. When you gonna have it?" Day after tomorrow.

Then I was lighting a woodstove, with the encouragement of my neighbor to 'get some heat going' that had burned down earlier in the evening. I pitched a wee bit (literally) of PAINT thinner, into the wood over coals. This is the same stuff everyone else sprays on their charcoal. It flashed at precisely the right time to travel through the air, and flash and ignite the approximately one pint of thinner still left in the plastic jug. This flashed up my arm and into my flannel shirt, turning my clothing into a wick. This vapor burned on the inside where it could and on the outside the remainder. My Kindergardner had been walking around for a week quoting "stop! drop! and roll!". It came back to me and out the door I went, on fire, and rolled across the ground. I couldn't put out the fire, so I rolled to my feet and 'flew' about 15 yards to a mudhole pond and dove in. I had to put my face in the mud to put out the back of my head/collar. When I walked back into the light, my skin from my hands was drooping nearly to the floor, and I was dripping muddy water and blood all over. My frantic neighbor took me to the hospital, where I walked in the ambulance entrance. They started to yell until they saw me, and took me right in. I've never entered the front door of the emergency room here. Is that a good thing???? Then it was off to the burn center where I got skin grafts to cover both hands and my neck, ear to ear. I used to have those 'dulips' on the bottom of my ears, and considered them a sign of intelligence, but I burned them off, and you can read the results. I couldn't get anyone to hire me for over 8 months from that episode.

I think this is pertinent:

I had an issue with a Rail Road, over the ownership of my shop I bought. I had borrowed some money from a potential customer to defend myself, under the assumption that I would insulate a house for him for repayment. I was insulating a fairly large house in town. It was July and over hot. I had bid a job about a hundred miles away, in the middle of nowwhere. This was for an old customer who was building his retirement home. I told him the price, if he would 'help me'. He agreed, and was scheduled immediately after the large house. I made a big point to him about showing up with a full trailer of cellulose insulation, to make the long trip efficient. 

The fellow I owed the insulated house to for repayment came in during the first house. He said he was 2 weeks out. Perfect, behind two good jobs to cover the materials. He lacked his inspections, and had allowed for the other subs to come fix their mistakes. He then passed his inspections, and came back the next day. I explained he was still behind the other house. He started pushing my buttons, especially when he said, "I should have never loaned you the money." I started to get agitated, but didn't. I called the other fellow, and postponed him a couple days. 

I went and insulated the 'repayment house'. It was extremely hot, (120 upstirs) and this fellow comes in an begins to tell me how to do it, WRONG. He admittedly had no clue, but some other insulator told him how to do it . How to do it WRONG. I began to get agitated, but didn't. After a couple days, it was over. I don't recollect insulating the second half of the house. I moved to the now third house, with a half load of insulation. My customer wondered what happened to the rest, and I explained the situation, assuring him of efficientcy. The size of his house should have taken well over a load of insulation. 

Note: (I had a garage that wasn't ready to insulate when we did the house, that was in the neighborhood of this far away house. I calculated it to take 13 bags. The customer admitted it was his fault for not being ready, and I could catch it 'next time I was in the area'. I really needed to catch it with the remainder of the second load, etc.)

When I bid the house I had told my customer, I would 'throw in' whatever sound walls he wanted. When I arrived I saw that he had decided to insulate ALL the interior walls. No problem. When we run out of insulation, we'll go get more. He had a 'kid' to help and run the machine in the truck. I didn't like the looks of this kid, and thought "if he plugs up the machine once, he's out of here."

We began at 5 am, (two hours away). It was still hot, and I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed. We had no mechanical problems. (rare)

Mid way through the third day, he tells me 'You're done.' I look around, and sure enough, we were done. It didn't seem like much time had passed, and WE NEVER RAN OUT OF INSULATION! My customer went to get the check (large) and I asked the 'kid', how much insulation is left? 13 bags, he said.

I was paid, (dumbfouded), did the garage, and moved back to the original house for the attic. At this point I did not see the miracles lining up in my favor. Although I did have several thousand dollars discretionary money which had not happened since the beginning of the Rail Road issue.

While there, the homeowner was whining about the plumber who wouldn't come back an put in a roof jack. The plumber was a friend of mine who had helped me when I was burned, so I went to put the vent in for him. I fell off the two story roof, (10/12), bounced off the insulation truck, and landed on my shoulder, cracking every bone in my back. (Like a chiropracter would)This was a Thursday. My boy's died laughing at their old man. I then went and got the bucket truck and put the jack in like I should have.


Back on topic:

I had told these customers they could use my cabinet shop to stain their own mouldings. They worked late Friday and slammed a 14 x 14 diamond plate steel door, (about 1500 pounds). This knocked one of the 3 rollers off, and made it not work. The next morning, they told me, and I went to re-place it on the roller. It was only flexed and would pop back on easily. I asked an elderly volunteer stainer, to 'push' on the top with a 2x3. I took an 6 foot bar and raised the door. I looked up, and no 2x3. I looked back, and no voulunteer, (that I had met moments before). Seems he had gone for help without telling me. By the time I saw him across the yard, and looked back , the door was falling. It landed on me with my head out and my butt where it shouldn't be. I was twisted. There were 4 other people there, and they came quick. I couldn't breathe, and that is a tough position. Finally, they were able to pick the door slightly up so I could get tiny breaths. I propped my forearm, in the gravel and on the diamond plate. I watched that arm expecting it to explode under the weight. They then pushed empty plastic 5 gallon buckets to help hold up the door. When the fire department arrived the buckets were giving way. They drug me out, and and then strapped me to the board. I was twisted in a knot. It exploded my 3 lower lumbar vertabraes. The doctor picked these out with tweezers during an 11 hour operation. I ended up getting a 'cage' around my spinal cord, which he thought was so damaged I would not walk. The result of this is my lower 6 vertabraes and what would be a vertabrae are bolted together. The indentions from the diamond plate and rocks on the elbow lasted almost a month in the hospital.

It was soon the first week of school, and my youngest was starting kindergarden. My wife had the money to attend to the things she needed to, and get back and forth to the hospital 40 mins. each way. A miracle in itself. I then graduated to a rest home, here in town.

Jesus had a different plan for me, and I did walk, and can do quite a bit today. And no, I didn't worry about all my broken ribs, etc. My left leg doesn't do everything I tell it to, but neither do my kids.

You're right pdqdl, I hope to make it to your age!

These were not the worst things that happened to me, and again, I am blessed to be walking and breathing.

I started writing this hours ago, and am going to quit, 'cause I'm tired', not through.

The worst thing to happen to me must have be circumcision. I was off my feet for a year!


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## outofmytree

A wiser man than I once told me if you got a bunch of people together, had them write down there worst problems, put em in a hat and then draw out a random piece of paper that most people would demand their own problems back. After reading some of these posts I have decided my flash burned balls were not such a bad thing after all.


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## mndlawn

Hey, thanks for sharing RVALUE. 

And, outofmytree, flashed burned balls does sound a bit painful.


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## GNAR13

double compound fracture in my right leg, bone filleted my calf when it happened....pretty mild compared to others on here


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## pdqdl

RVALUE said:


> ... Pd, do you get those pesky 'splits' in your remaining fingers? ...



No, I don't. In fact, I'm not even sure what you are referring to. Sorry.

Despite all my injuries, I have outstanding health, and I heal very quickly! _(too much practice?)_. I never have skin irritations, and I am not allergic to ANYTHING, including wasps, bees, poison ivy, or even sycamore tree sawdust. I largely heal without scars, too. 

I never get sick either, except for a never ending stream of tonsillitis (not less than twice per year) until I was 30-35 years old. Maybe all that strep throat boosted my immune system?

We were all blessed with some special attributes. I think it is important to appreciate the good ones, improve our weak points, and calmly accept what we cannot change.


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## RVALUE

pdqdl said:


> No, I don't. In fact, I'm not even sure what you are referring to. Sorry.
> 
> Despite all my injuries, I have outstanding health, and I heal very quickly! _(too much practice?)_. I never have skin irritations, and I am not allergic to ANYTHING, including wasps, bees, poison ivy, or even sycamore tree sawdust. I largely heal without scars, too.
> 
> I never get sick either, except for a never ending stream of tonsillitis (not less than twice per year) until I was 30-35 years old. Maybe all that strep throat boosted my immune system?
> 
> We were all blessed with some special attributes. I think it is important to appreciate the good ones, improve our weak points, and calmly accept what we cannot change.



Lucky you, those splits are from the 'winter dry' and chemicals. They can hurt. Glad you are a thorough healer. Are some allergic to sycamore sawdust? I don't like walnut sawdust, but I'm not allergic to it. Maybe falling limbs.....


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## pdqdl

GNAR13 said:


> double compound fracture in my right leg, bone filleted my calf when it happened....pretty mild compared to others on here



Well come on! Tell us how you did it. 
The dumber your mistake, the better for this thread.


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## Taxmantoo

I can remember the most painful thing I ever did. 
Was about 16-17, and my CL175 wouldn't idle right when it was really hot. Took it for a hard ride, propped it up on a milk crate, and somehow, in the process of adjusting the carbs or the valves or something, I managed to press my bare shoulder up against an exhaust header about 2" from the engine. I heard the sizzling noise before I felt it, then I felt the pain, then smelled the BBQ. The hole in my shoulder had black charcoal like flesh around it. Went to sleep on a big bag of ice that night and woke up again in more pain than ever after the ice melted. I never want another 3rd degree burn.


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## pdqdl

First aid tip: NEVER ice a burn injury! It increases blood flow to the area, along with inflammation and pain.

But you know that now, don't you?


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## outofmytree

pdqdl said:


> First aid tip: NEVER ice a burn injury! It increases blood flow to the area, along with inflammation and pain.
> 
> But you know that now, don't you?



Ice is bad? Really? Wow. I googled this and it is correct as shown on a number of medical websites. I guess I have ass-umed that since cool water was good, frozen water must be better. 

The kick is for me btw.


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## EdenT

pdqdl said:


> First aid tip: NEVER ice a burn injury! It increases blood flow to the area, along with inflammation and pain.
> 
> But you know that now, don't you?



I am surprised to learn this. I would have thought the physiological reaction would be that the blood vessels would constrict to reduce loss of heat from the core. The reduced blood flow leads to numbness as nerve cells 'idle'. But my experience of burns is limited.

What would be your suggested first aid?


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## outofmytree

EdenT said:


> I am surprised to learn this. I would have thought the physiological reaction would be that the blood vessels would constrict to reduce loss of heat from the core. The reduced blood flow leads to numbness as nerve cells 'idle'. But my experience of burns is limited.
> 
> What would be your suggested first aid?



This advice was consistant on the three websites I looked at all of which appeared to be legitimate. I doubt you could get away with bad advise on the Mayo clinic website. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-burns/fa00022



> For minor burns, including first-degree burns and second-degree burns limited to an area no larger than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) in diameter, take the following action:
> 
> Cool the burn. Hold the burned area under cool (not cold) running water for 10 or 15 minutes or until the pain subsides. If this is impractical, immerse the burn in cool water or cool it with cold compresses. Cooling the burn reduces swelling by conducting heat away from the skin. Don't put ice on the burn.



Note for minor burns only. Anything else should be treated by a medical professional. 

Of course first you have to admit it hurts rather than grunt, pop your fractured femur back in place and keep blocking down the tree!


----------



## outofmytree

Hey I just remembered another injury but it happened to an employee. He won't post this so I had best do the deed for him. He he he.

Adam is up the top of a _Eucalyptus camaldulensis_ that has to come out. Remember the species name it is important. He had a groundie to assist and I was doing other minor pruning around the property. This was a large commerical property so we could not see each other working. I heard some odd noises so I walked to the other guys and see Adam almost squatting on the ground with a most peculiar look on his face. When I asked him what was wrong he explained through gritted teeth that he had lost control of a decent sized log which was roped to the trunk and this had swung back and smacked him right in the family jewels. Well being the supportive fellow that I am, I managed not to laugh too loud.

I walked back around to the security office to let them know I had a guy coimng back through and we both waited for Adam. As he is hobbling towards us the securty guard says "what happened to him?" With a dead straight face I said, "he's just been kicked in the balls by a camal........dulensis".

Security guards actually do have a sense of humour. This one laughed untill he cried.


----------



## pdqdl

EdenT said:


> ... I would have thought the physiological reaction would be that the blood vessels would constrict to reduce loss of heat from the core. The reduced blood flow leads to numbness as nerve cells 'idle'.



Our physiology is rather tricky! If you are chilled *all over* from exposure to the cold, your skin will constrict capillaries and reduce flow to all your integument (skin), as you suggested. By a bizarre quirk of our plumbing, if one part is significantly colder than the rest, the reverse is true, and our bodies pump extra blood to the threatened area, resulting in a bright red color, extra warmth, and all the side effects that go with more blood flow.

This is an adapted response by our bodies that prevents frostbite to exposed body parts like fingertips, nose, ears, etc. Mankind has learned to harness this physiological response to treat sprains and other muscular aches: we ice the affected area, blood flows into the area to prevent frostbite, and we get the benefit of dramatically increased blood flow to an injured part. This will reduce swelling of sprained joints, and improve healing due to the improvement in blood flow. In most cases, it relieves pain as well by slowing nerve transmission and reducing the effectiveness of all the histamine complex that causes inflammation and pain. Other cellular reactions are slowed as well.

Bottom line: more ice usually equals less pain...unless the injury is a burn, which already has massively increased the pain in the area by increasing the sensitivity of all the heat receptors in the area. Then you increase the blood flow to the area, and the serious ouchies start up as soon as you take the ice away.

Cool water: ASAP! This will remove any extra heat from damaged skin; hopefully eliminating any additional damage.


----------



## EdenT

pdqdl said:


> Our physiology is rather tricky! If you are chilled *all over* from exposure to the cold, your skin will constrict capillaries and reduce flow to all your integument (skin), as you suggested. By a bizarre quirk of our plumbing, if one part is significantly colder than the rest, the reverse is true, and our bodies pump extra blood to the threatened area, resulting in a bright red color, extra warmth, and all the side effects that go with more blood flow.
> 
> This is an adapted response by our bodies that prevents frostbite to exposed body parts like fingertips, nose, ears, etc. Mankind has learned to harness this physiological response to treat sprains and other muscular aches: we ice the affected area, blood flows into the area to prevent frostbite, and we get the benefit of dramatically increased blood flow to an injured part. This will reduce swelling of sprained joints, and improve healing due to the improvement in blood flow. In most cases, it relieves pain as well by slowing nerve transmission and reducing the effectiveness of all the histamine complex that causes inflammation and pain. Other cellular reactions are slowed as well.
> 
> Bottom line: more ice usually equals less pain...unless the injury is a burn, which already has massively increased the pain in the area by increasing the sensitivity of all the heat receptors in the area. Then you increase the blood flow to the area, and the serious ouchies start up as soon as you take the ice away.
> 
> Cool water: ASAP! This will remove any extra heat from damaged skin; hopefully eliminating any additional damage.



Thank you very much for this excellent explanation. It makes perfect sense.

Can someone rep him for me - I'm out.


----------



## EdenT

*My Stupidist injuries*

1. Young and dumb and full of booze. Decided to go surfing on the bonnet of a mates VW Passat. I dive on and grab the wing mirrors as he is driving off (drunk of course). Yes I was that stupid. But my even stupider friend wanted in on the act. Suddenly I feel a large weight land on me. My friend had also dived onto the Passat but he is holding me around the waist. He is a lot heavier than me so we start to slide a bit. Anticipating going under the wheels, I yell to the driver to stop. He (not too much brighter than either of us) attempts to drive the brake pedal through the floor of the hapless Passat. The wing mirrors both snap off the car in my hands and we, the loose nuts on the front, launch. My right ankle some how manages to act as a great buffer for us and is torn to crap and sprained in about 5 directions (I have tough bones for some reason). My friend somehow lands on my lap, and breaks his wrist - the one holding my ankle onto the pavement. The doctors were surprised (mostly at my level of inebriation).

2. Older and still pretty dumb. Arrive late at a job because I got lost on the way there. Boss is pissed, tells me to get up a tree and bring it down. I tell my groundie to go and get my helmet while I put the throw bag in the tree. First shot with the big shot goes awry and goes over what appears to be a tiny branch 25 - 30' up. I try to pull it over the end of the branch, no luck. I try walking, strumming, and a fair bit of swearing. Then I decide if I pull on both ends of the line at once I will be able to bend the tiny branch and get my throw line back. I give it a fairly hard pull. Nothing. I put all my body weight on it bending forwards to do so. Hear a blood chilling crack above me. I start to move throwing my arms up to protect my head. This branch which must have only weighed 25-30lbs hits my right arm halfway between my shoulder and elbow. Drove me into the ground like a tack. Didn't break my arm (strong bones remember), but lost a week of work recovering from the bruising. I was blown away that a branch that light from such a small height would do that much damage. I reckon if it hit my helmet less head, well.....

Got plenty of other war stories but these would be the outstandingly stupid ones.


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## stihl sawing

pdqdl said:


> I broke three ribs in a minor fall in a tree once. I didn't even know it until hours after the incident. This was longer to heal and more painful than either of the later rib injuries. [No, I never went to the doctor]
> 
> I broke a couple of ribs running a walk-behind mower with a ride-on sulky: I crashed into a stump and stopped real short. [never went to the doctor]
> 
> I broke a rib or two when I got knocked out of a tree when the lowering rope got stuck in a narrow crotch. I was squealing like a little girl: "Let go of the rope!" It didn't help. Groundman was NOT at fault. [never went to the doctor]
> 
> Broken ribs aren't hardly worth worrying about. They hurt for a while, but you get over them in about a month. I guess some folks get perforated lungs, but that is pretty uncommon.
> 
> 
> Come on now guys! I know some of you have been hammered on the job! Let's hear about it.


I've got an herniated disc right now, can't walk too far, Had a lot of injuries over the years But nothing compared to yours. You win hands down.


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## pdqdl

Don't under rate your injuries, there partner. I have heard that almost nothing is worse than a herniated disk. 

I have at least three serious back injuries, but I have absolutely no back pain on a day-to-day basis. My crushed lumbar vertebra are now fused, so they don't bother me at all. 

Like I said, I heal real well.


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## stihl sawing

pdqdl said:


> Don't under rate your injuries, there partner. I have heard that almost nothing is worse than a herniated disk.
> 
> I have at least three serious back injuries, but I have absolutely no back pain on a day-to-day basis. My crushed lumbar vertebra are now fused, so they don't bother me at all.
> 
> Like I said, I heal real well.


It ain't no fun that's for sure. had a couple of broken ribs years ago from a water ski hitting me in the side when i fell. Been lucky on the motorcycle crashes, Nothing but scars so far. i doubt anyone can top your list though.


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## pdqdl

Them broke ribs smart, don't they?

I shouldn't probably have given you guys my little list. I wasn't trying to make a competition out of this. Seriously! This isn't the sort of competition you want to be a winner of.

I was really impressed with the shoulder injury. That poor guy nearly chopped himself in half. Looks like he had a good surgeon.


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## stihl sawing

pdqdl said:


> Them broke ribs smart, don't they?
> I shouldn't probably have given you guys my little list. I wasn't trying to make a competition out of this. Seriously! This isn't the sort of competition you want to be a winner of.
> 
> I was really impressed with the shoulder injury. That poor guy nearly chopped himself in half. Looks like he had a good surgeon.


Yeah they do, But not as bad as this herniated disc. I'm glad you posted the list, Makes us aware that were not the only ones hurting. You are right about not wanting to be the winner of this topic.lol


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## RVALUE

pdqdl said:


> Don't under rate your injuries, there partner. I have heard that almost nothing is worse than a herniated disk.
> 
> I have at least three serious back injuries, but I have absolutely no back pain on a day-to-day basis. My crushed lumbar vertebra are now fused, so they don't bother me at all.
> 
> Like I said, I heal real well.



But do you learn real well?


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## pdqdl

Absolutely. 

Very few people are as good as me at wrecking motorcycles. It takes a very special talent to wreck the bike & yourself, and still keep going like the energizer bunny. 

Ok. The energizer bunny doesn't limp. But other than that, I'm doing pretty good.

Who else do you know that can burn all the skin off their face two times and not have any scars? That take a very special talent!


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## RVALUE

pdqdl said:


> Absolutely.
> 
> Very few people are as good as me at wrecking motorcycles. It takes a very special talent to wreck the bike & yourself, and still keep going like the energizer bunny.
> 
> Ok. The energizer bunny doesn't limp. But other than that, I'm doing pretty good.
> 
> Who else do you know that can burn all the skin off their face two times and not have any scars? That take a very special talent!



And that my friend, is a million dollar observation. Talents are _given_, not earned. They are a gift from God. What you do with them is your gratuity. 

The_ most _talented man I've ever met, was killed at 53, in a simple accident. Over 1000 people (town of 10 K) attended his funeral. 

It was shown to me that it is not the people "who can't see the obvious'" fault, but rather a gift to those that can see it. (We erroneously sometimes call them idiots, etc.) But then again, maybe they deserve it.


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## pdqdl

I'm glad you added that "we". I'm afraid I am too often guilty of referring to some folks as idiots. I would hate to think you were pickin' on me.

So far, I haven't found anyone at AS that consider themselves to be an idiot. So when I ungraciously call someone an idiot, you guys know I'm not talking about you, right?


----------



## stihl sawing

pdqdl said:


> Absolutely.
> 
> Very few people are as good as me at wrecking motorcycles. It takes a very special talent to wreck the bike & yourself, and still keep going like the energizer bunny.
> 
> Ok. The energizer bunny doesn't limp. But other than that, I'm doing pretty good.
> 
> Who else do you know that can burn all the skin off their face two times and not have any scars? That take a very special talent!


Last big bike crash i had was on a suzuki 750 water buffalo, The roads were wet and i took off kinda hard and it suddenly hit it's powerband and the back tire broke loose and i slid it under the traffic light. Had too many wrecks on motocross machines to even count. When i was 17 i wrapped a honda 175 around a tree. When i first got my current bike it wasn't a week and a truck throwed a 4or 5 foot gator on my shin. That hurt just knew the leg was broke. wasn't just bruised bad. I have fell out of three tree stands, broke a finger on one and hurt my knee on another. Got knocked out by a flashlight one time i was having to do some emergency repairs at night. Climbed a 12 foot a frame and left the light there, went to move the ladder and pow. never knew what hit me, Thought it was my first wife at the time when i woke up. tryin to figure out what i did to her.lol Shoot i could go on and on. Imagine everyone has these types of stories.


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## RVALUE

And another interesting point, is that:

Very few people consider themselves to be 'below average' in any given category. By very definition, _nearly half_ the people are below average.

These that deny this, are most likely idiots. 

We can print this, and not get in trouble because no idiots read this. If you don't believe me, just ask.


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## RVALUE

Let me set the record strait.

I am not calling any particular person an idiot, or saying that someone who has had an accident, could have avoided it. I have been accused of not putting "safety First". That may or may not be true. 

I have seen others do some REALLY STUPID things that did not result in serious injury. And likewise. 

I think the general public who have never had a serious accident considers themselves superior to those that have. This is no more true than a person who, well you get the picture.


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## gwiley

When I was a teenager (about 23 years ago) my brother and I decided that the hurricane off the Florida coast would give us some decent waves so we went surfing. The waves were impressive for a Florida boy - 6' or more above the surface of the water. As I mounted one I looked to each side and realized that we had a closeout - the wave was crashing immediately instead of rolling down the coast. In a closeout you just need to dismount - at least I didn't have the skill to ride a closeout.

I was only about 1/2 way up on the board so I just pushed it backward between my legs and dove forward and learned an important lesson about what happens to the water in front of a fast moving large wave. The water had been drawn down so that there was only about 12" under the surface - I hit the sand so hard with that wave driving me down that my front tooth was knocked out BY THE ROOT. The wave held me under, ground my face into the sand and pushed me toward the beach for what seemed like an eternity. About the time that I figured I was done - just about to gulp water for air, the wave let me up.

I remember standing on the beach with blood all over my face and chest, feeling my back reacting to having been bent double the wrong way - just stood there swaying, stunned.

I am convinced to this day that God decided he had some work for me to do - there were so many ways I should have been dead from that stupid move. Never did see a doctor about my back - I think it put itself together over the next 12 months (I went into the army a year later and seemed to do fine).


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## outofmytree

gwiley said:


> When I was a teenager (about 23 years ago) my brother and I decided that the hurricane off the Florida coast would give us some decent waves so we went surfing. The waves were impressive for a Florida boy - 6' or more above the surface of the water. As I mounted one I looked to each side and realized that we had a closeout - the wave was crashing immediately instead of rolling down the coast. In a closeout you just need to dismount - at least I didn't have the skill to ride a closeout.
> 
> I was only about 1/2 way up on the board so I just pushed it backward between my legs and dove forward and learned an important lesson about what happens to the water in front of a fast moving large wave. The water had been drawn down so that there was only about 12" under the surface - I hit the sand so hard with that wave driving me down that my front tooth was knocked out BY THE ROOT. The wave held me under, ground my face into the sand and pushed me toward the beach for what seemed like an eternity. About the time that I figured I was done - just about to gulp water for air, the wave let me up.
> 
> I remember standing on the beach with blood all over my face and chest, feeling my back reacting to having been bent double the wrong way - just stood there swaying, stunned.
> 
> I am convinced to this day that God decided he had some work for me to do - there were so many ways I should have been dead from that stupid move. Never did see a doctor about my back - I think it put itself together over the next 12 months (I went into the army a year later and seemed to do fine).



I laughed as I read this brother. Not at your pain but in memory of my own. I have a dandy scar on my chin after discovering just how bouyant my surfboard was compared to me. Got wiped out, it went down fast and came up faster and bang! When I got home I went to my Mum and said "look at what I can do" and poked my tongue THROUGH my face. She wasnt impressed and made me have the new hole stitched up! Darn it! That would have been so cool at school. Funny how sometimes the nastiest injuries hurt less than stubbing your toe.


----------



## gwiley

outofmytree said:


> I laughed as I read this brother. Not at your pain but in memory of my own. I have a dandy scar on my chin after discovering just how bouyant my surfboard was compared to me. Got wiped out, it went down fast and came up faster and bang! When I got home I went to my Mum and said "look at what I can do" and poked my tongue THROUGH my face. She wasnt impressed and made me have the new hole stitched up! Darn it! That would have been so cool at school. Funny how sometimes the nastiest injuries hurt less than stubbing your toe.



For me the real fun was the prosthetic tooth they gave me - it was on a retainer that I could pop out with my tongue. It is really funny to see how people react when you front tooth pops out/in through through lips while they are talking with you - most folks would let out a holler and then an "oh, that's gross".

It was a lot of fun to walk around with my tooth missing too - instant redneck appeal.

I hated it when they finally put a permanent bridge in.


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## GNAR13

pdqdl said:


> Well come on! Tell us how you did it.
> The dumber your mistake, the better for this thread.



i got tossed out of an argo (8 wheel atv) that was running wide open....bailing wire does not make a good throttle cable


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## tomtrees58

o mam i hit a pipe in a stump with a 056 it came back in to my knees 180 stitches and staples in each lag:jawdrop:tomtrees


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## tree md

I came 20' out of a tree and fractured my heel. It actually exploded. The head radiologist lady got onto the young x-ray tech when she thought she screwed up on the x-ray. She took one herself then came back in and told me I no longer had a heel. Was bedridden for a month, walked on crutches for 6 and had to walk with the aid of a cane for the rest of the year.Kept me out of the trees for a couple of years.Was 2 years before I was healed up enough to climb again. Stupid mistake. I was taking a shortcut, using a ladder. First time I had ever used a ladder an 10 years of climbing. My story is in this forum a few years back so I won't go into the whole rigmarole.

I also got smacked in the chin pretty hard when a crooked limb pitched in the chipper one time. Didn't get out of the way in time. I saw pretty colors I didn't even know existed. 12 stitches and 1 week light duty rolling around with the knuckle boom; Doctors orders.

I've nicked myself a couple of times with the saw but to tell the truth, I have cut myself way worse and way more often with my handsaw. I think that thing is out to get me.

I won't bore you with the non work related stuff but I've had some doosies outside of the workplace as well.


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## wvlogger

i got 48 stiches to the left leg above the knee from a kick back split my skull from a falling limb and various other holes and injuries


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## lego1970

Doing tree work,

Broke left tibia (shin bone) in a tree accident a couple years ago. Everything works pretty good however when I squat my left knee sits about 6" higher then my right knee and when I get up from sitting on the ground I have to roll to my right side and use my right leg to do most of the work. If affects me a little in a tree when I'm in a tight spot or getting up from sitting on a limb, but not that much. Aside from that I can jog, jump, and lift heavy objects with no problem. The only other tree accident that left a scar is I tore my middle fingernail off with a running chainsaw and left a little slashing scar above it. That one was my fault since I was drinking with my neighbor and thought it would be a good idea to trim his trees. The good thing is it didn't hurt enough to stop drinking 

Personal life,
Broke my right arm twice when I was a kid only one year apart from each other. Broke or sprained a few bones in my right foot from a car accident (never did trust the driver I was riding with). Got robbed/jumped in 1993. Took a pretty good beating and I guess one of the guys hit my head with a pipe or something. Took about a three days before I was able to talk clear enough to be understood, then another couple weeks to speak as fast as my brain was processing what I wanted to say, took about two weeks to get my hearing back fully, and about a month before I could smell and taste again. It was a wild experience, I think I understand what a stroke victim goes thru because I was fully aware of what was going on after a couple days but I didn't have full use of my motor skills so for about a week or two it took me several minutes to get out one sentence. Aside from that some stiches here and there and that's about it.


----------



## pdqdl

Damn. Now that's a serious head injury!


----------



## EdenT

*A different kind of injury.*

I apologise in advance. This is a long and boring post. If you’re looking for action you may want to skip this post.

As a kid I spent a lot of time swimming and being outdoors, there being nothing good on TV in the olden days. I remember being very sunburned often. It was hilarious slapping each other on the back and squealing with pain.

Just short of my 40th birthday, I woke up one morning and thought I had a blind pimple underneath the end of my nose a little to the right near the edge of the nostril. I tried to squeeze it but nothing happened except that it hurt a lot. Give it a day or two I thought. A couple of days later still no joy. 

About a month later I got around to going to the doctor. By this time it has developed into a little pimple like crater that wouldn't go away. He gives me some anti-biotic for skin infections and asks me to check back in a month. A month later it’s still there. He sends me for a biopsy. Lunatic dressed in a Nurses uniform gives me a nose piercing. Unpleasant!

It turns out I have a basal cell carcinoma (BCC). I was lucky, these are the most benign of skin cancers and people rarely die if treated. Comparatively I knew of a lady that woke up one morning with a sore toe and a tiny black dot under her toenail. The tiny black dot was a melanoma and three months later she was dead.

I digress. The treatment decided for my BCC was a surgery (that I can’t remember the name of); where they remove a superficial (as in on the surface) cancer by taking 1/16” slices from the cancerous area. They then take the slice to the lab and do a test for cancerous cells. If they find any on the top surface they need to take another slice. I was conscious, sedated, and under local anaesthetic for the procedure. The first slice was OK. I was fully wacked of a magic pill they had given me and the local was working well. I was optimistic. I was disappointed to have to go in for a second slice an hour later. The second slice was much worse than the first. The anaesthetic was losing its effectiveness and the pill had sent me from happy go lucky daze to nauseous and depressed. When they came for the fourth slice I was in tears. They took grafts from my ears to rebuild my nose. There is nothing as deafening as the sound of a scalpel sawing cartilage off your ear. I try to suppress the memory of that hellish day and live in dread of it happening again.

The moral of my story is that this is a really crappy injury to suffer, and an even worse one to die from. Go and get a scan, regularly, you owe it to your loved ones. Speaking of which make sure your kids are Sun-Smart. What could have been a deadly injury to me was probably inflicted when I was a child. I get scanned all the time now, because the greatest predictor for cancer is cancer. At the moment it’s a dead heat between the smokes, the sun, and the ropes to see what’ll get me. As long as it stays a dead heat and I’m a careful climber I should be fine.

Please take care Y'all


----------



## 385XP

056 kid said:


> TKOed by a sprung hickory.
> 
> I get head aches & my left ear always rings. . .
> 
> It happened allmost 3 years ago


I was topping a walnut tree and accidently cut aspring pole off and took the rear handle of a 385 to the jaw.It hurt like hell but never knocked me out.


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## 385XP

Ive been cut acouple times nothing to major.Iguess the worst thing that happened to me was i got launched trought the air by a white oak limb that i thought was cut off athe way but wasnt. My back still hurts to this day from it. the tree rolled and rag dowelled me. The skidder opperator was coming back from a skid and see nme flying through the air. he said my feet were compleatly above my head when i hit the ground.


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## Highclimber OR

I laid the tip of my 044 right on the instep of my left foot close to full rev. It was about 1/2" wide about 3/4" deep and about 3 inches long. When I got it stitched up I asked the Doctor how long until I could get back in the hooks, he told my 3-4 days LOL. I couldn't walk for a month and the damn thing bled for two weeks. Funny when I look back on it I just became a little complacent and it was all over.


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## tree md

Foot injuries suck. 

Not quite as bad as a saw chain to the foot but I stuck a gaff through my big toe onetime. Was swinging tree to tree setting lines and did a 180 in the air, turned and landed on the neighboring tree. When I did I put my spike clean through my left big toe. Didn't take my boot off to look, I just kept on trucking until I finished the 9 trees I was doing. With blood dripping out of my boot I knew it wasn't gonna be a pretty sight though...

I also got nailed with a good 10" butt of a limb while I was doing storm work. It was under tension and did not react like I expected it to when I cut it. Nailed my left big toe again (about 18 years after the first incident though). Knocked me out of my spikes, lanyard caught me though.. I had to take my boot off that time to work the dent out of the boot toe. Again, I finished the job then went to my folks house to deliver some firewood (power was out due to ice storm). By the time I got to my folk's place my toe was throbbing and I was insane with pain! I heated a needle red hot and seared a hole in the toenail that had filled with black blood as my sister and mom morbidly watched. The blood almost hit the ceiling as the pressure was released. Instant relief!!! I was back in my gaffs the next day.


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## jefflovstrom

I am the oldest of four brothers, I remember we told my lil bro to jump off of our two story house with an umbrella. I got the whippin of a life time for that!
Jeff


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## talltreeclimber

I was sharpening my saw and not thinking i was not wearing gloves and i didnt have the saw in the vice, my hand slipped and i cut my right index finger down to the bone it bled so bad when i came back from getting stitches i could follow the blood trail from the truck all the way down to the house, i had 3 stitches in the muscle and 9 across the top of my finger.

Shattered a knuckle have titanium in it now screws plate and a pin.


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## buzz sawyer

If you're talking chainsaw related, none really - except a cut pair of jeans that convinced me to start wearing chaps. 

If anything goes... I broke both bones in my right arm jumping off a swing when I was 9. Dad called the Dr. who met us on the driveway of our gas station. The Dr. took one look, grabbed my wrist and elbow and started to pull. After a few seconds of intense screaming, I felt a slight pop and he stopped pulling. At the hospital, the bones were set so cleanly the xray almost barely showed the breaks. Hurt like hell but he probably prevented a compound fracture and surgery. Six weeks later I was good as new.


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## RVALUE

buzz sawyer said:


> If you're talking chainsaw related, none really - except a cut pair of jeans that convinced me to start wearing chaps.
> 
> If anything goes... I broke both bones in my right arm jumping off a swing when I was 9. Dad called the Dr. who met us on the driveway of our gas station. The Dr. took one look, grabbed my wrist and elbow and started to pull. After a few seconds of intense screaming, I felt a slight pop and he stopped pulling. At the hospital, the bones were set so cleanly the xray almost barely showed the breaks. Hurt like hell but he probably prevented a compound fracture and surgery. Six weeks later I was good as new.



Good doctor! and _you_ benefitted from his talent!


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## NeoTree

angle grinder with wirewheel kickbacked into my face once. It was one of those nasty wire wheels with about 20 to 30 individual very coarse twists of wire. hit right under my eye and tore down to my upper lip, looked like hamburger for a while but it healed up nice, a little scar above my mustache. And i cut my long hair the week earlier, im convinced it would of scalped me.


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## TimberMan

Last summer, I tripped in my shop. Fell kind of backward and to the side, so I threw my arm out to catch myself against the roll up garage door. My hand and arm went through the glass window in the door, and cut me from wrist halfway to elbow on the underside of my arm. Rolled a big flap of my arm skin up to my hand like taking off a rubber glove. I never got too panicked, fortunately, and my wife got me to the hospital fast. 70 some stitches, cut some muscles and both the ulnar artery and ulnar nerve. Bled like hell though. Now I've lost a lot of muscle in my hand, from the nerve getting cut. They say some of it will come back eventually, but we'll see.


----------



## clearance

TimberMan said:


> Last summer, I tripped in my shop. Fell kind of backward and to the side, so I threw my arm out to catch myself against the roll up garage door. My hand and arm went through the glass window in the door, and cut me from wrist halfway to elbow on the underside of my arm. Rolled a big flap of my arm skin up to my hand like taking off a rubber glove. I never got too panicked, fortunately, and my wife got me to the hospital fast. 70 some stitches, cut some muscles and both the ulnar artery and ulnar nerve. Bled like hell though. Now I've lost a lot of muscle in my hand, from the nerve getting cut. They say some of it will come back eventually, but we'll see.



It will come back. Years ago I cut my forearm between the wrist and elbow, bad, with a 266XP. Muscle was cut, tendons partially severed, nerves damaged. I couldn't feel most of my hand, or use my baby finger and the one next to it much. I kept trying to use it, and it got better, took a long time.


----------



## skip

30 stiches above knee from saw kickback, 30 stiches above right eye from binder pipe kickback .But the mother of all is 3 broken ribs ( pencil width ) collapsed lung, lacerated spleen, bruised kidney, multiple breaks in Every toe ,multilple breaks in foot, 4th toe amputated still waiting for the verdict on the little toe. Knocked off the back of truck when 6in dia. 42ft 800lb piece of pipe rolled off of pipe trailer (pipelineing) . It was that or get pinned between headache rack. Still healing up. Like my boss says , Glad I aint dead.


----------



## 056 kid

skip said:


> 30 stiches above knee from saw kickback, 30 stiches above right eye from binder pipe kickback .But the mother of all is 3 broken ribs ( pencil width ) collapsed lung, lacerated spleen, bruised kidney, multiple breaks in Every toe ,multilple breaks in foot, 4th toe amputated still waiting for the verdict on the little toe. Knocked off the back of truck when 6in dia. 42ft 800lb piece of pipe rolled off of pipe trailer (pipelineing) . It was that or get pinned between headache rack. Still healing up. Like my boss says , Glad I aint dead.



So did the pipe roll over you or did all that happen from falling off the truck? Hope you heal up..


----------



## 056 kid

talltreeclimber said:


> I was sharpening my saw and not thinking i was not wearing gloves and i didnt have the saw in the vice, my hand slipped and i cut my right index finger down to the bone it bled so bad when i came back from getting stitches i could follow the blood trail from the truck all the way down to the house, i had 3 stitches in the muscle and 9 across the top of my finger.
> 
> Shattered a knuckle have titanium in it now screws plate and a pin.



####!!! I have done that a half dozen times. I just pour somer diesel on it & wrap it up with some cloth.


----------



## transit

*chainsaw accidents*

two tree related accidents first one asked new groundie to use aflying capstain to lower large beech limb he tied it i cut it limb hanging down cut it in halflimb spun hit helmet squashed forehead between helmet and glassess 10 stitches second one my own fault kickback from ms200t through vizor down cheek 64 stiches inside and out lucky for wearing glasses or eye would have had it back to work that week


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## RedlineIt

transit said:


> two tree related accidents first one asked new groundie to use aflying capstain to lower large beech limb he tied it i cut it limb hanging down cut it in halflimb spun hit helmet squashed forehead between helmet and glassess 10 stitches second one my own fault kickback from ms200t through vizor down cheek 64 stiches inside and out lucky for wearing glasses or eye would have had it back to work that week



Welcome to the site transit, hell of a way to introduce yourself!

I've some injuries from pushing sportbikes past my abilities, but the worst I've done in a tree is splay some flesh with my handsaw, couple of bandaids later, right back up.

RedlineIt


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## skip

The back of the pipe actually fell off first and when the front end came off it caught me in the ribs and launched me about 15ft foot landed on my toes and thats how foot got tore up. By the way a 7 minute Life Flight cost $11,000 worth every penny in my book. (Comp. case)


----------



## Oldtimer

Used to work tree trimming the power lines in Maine for CMP (Lucas Tree)..

I got hit with 7200 volts of primary...foreman cut a tall sapling that had grown up between the primary and the neutral....it wasn't touching as it was, but when it fell it made contact...I didn't look, just grabbed to pull it out...BANG....in the left hand, up the arm, across the shoulders, down the right arm, and out the right hand into a tree I was using as an anchor..
Shoulders hurt for 3 days, like I over-worked the muscles. No other lasting issues..that was at least 20 years ago..

Brother is a "lifer" in the power line trimming racket...he was folding the bucket from the remote station on the turret...wasn't paying attention, and set the bucket down on his own head...his helmet saved his life...but he's now 2 inches shorter...he crushed several vertebrae in his neck...he was out for a month, with at least a year of P-T. This was more than 15 years ago now.


----------



## tree md

Oldtimer said:


> Used to work tree trimming the power lines in Maine for CMP (Lucas Tree)..
> 
> I got hit with 7200 volts of primary...foreman cut a tall sapling that had grown up between the primary and the neutral....it wasn't touching as it was, but when it fell it made contact...I didn't look, just grabbed to pull it out...BANG....in the left hand, up the arm, across the shoulders, down the right arm, and out the right hand into a tree I was using as an anchor..
> Shoulders hurt for 3 days, like I over-worked the muscles. No other lasting issues..that was at least 20 years ago..
> 
> Brother is a "lifer" in the power line trimming racket...he was folding the bucket from the remote station on the turret...wasn't paying attention, and set the bucket down on his own head...his helmet saved his life...but he's now 2 inches shorter...he crushed several vertebrae in his neck...he was out for a month, with at least a year of P-T. This was more than 15 years ago now.



When lightening strikes it's a crap shoot who it is gonna hit on the ground. The guy in the tree is usually the lucky one when it goes to ground...


----------



## silverzuk

Pdqdl asked if I would tell the rest of the story, so here it is.

First off, I was in my mid 20's and knew how to operate a saw. I knew nothing at the time on how to cut trees. I cut quite a bit at work and cut firewood growing up. I am glad to survived to eventually learn better and safer ways to cut. 

I has posted this story on an offroad forum years ago, and I had to go back to find it.

I got a helicopter ride, 5 hours of surgery, 4 titanium plates and 20 screws to put my face back together.

I was working and cutting a relatively small tree (10 to 12 inch white oak) that I didn't notch. It barber chaired and kicked off the stump, hitting me in the face.

I had under cut the tree, then started angling in from the high side. The tree started to go and leaned into another tree top. The trunk was at a slight angle.
Better judgment was over ruled because we were behind a deadline and I was pushing it way too hard. That tree was cocked cannon.

I stepped in beside the tree, touched the heart of the tree with the saw.
I saw a flash of wood and felt pain in my shins.
I opened my eyes about 15-feet away from the tree, laid out on my back with the saw still in my hands running. I sat up, turned off the saw, yelled for help and started the damage assessment.

I stood up, and couldn’t see my nose. I knew it was broken (understatement – I didn’t have a nose anymore). I thought, “I bet I lost some teeth in this one”, and ran my tongue around my mouth feeling my teeth. Oddly, they were all there, but I couldn’t figure out why my upper right rear molar was where my front teeth used to be. My front teeth were rotated around to the left side of my mouth. I was bleeding badly.
The guys I worked with got there and wanted to see the damage. I didn’t want them to freak, so I reached down grabbed my hat, put it on, and told them “Get me out of here.”

Here is the second big mistake of the day. The truck was about a ¼ mile away. We took off running toward the truck, while one guy steadied me on each arm. As I ran, blood way spraying out in front of me and I can still recall hearing splatter on the leaves.
I thought, “I’ve killed deer that didn’t bleed this much.”. Don’t EVER let someone that is hurt run, it just pumps the blood our faster.

We got to the truck and one guy got in back, me in the passengers seat and another guy was driving. We left the fourth guy on the hill with the equipment (he was in radio contact of another crew). He was in shock and never moved from behind the survey instrument during the incident. 

We were driving off the mountain, but the guys didn’t know how to get off the mountain. We had surveyed up one side the previous two days, and that morning I hiked off to get the truck. I drove around to the next town, and up the other side of the mountain.
I was fading in and out due to blood loss. They kept yelling at me saying “Matt, stay awake – which way do we need to go.” There were a lot of logging roads that zig zagged up the mountain. I stayed conscious and pointed the right direction off the hill. 

We hit the highway and Wes was burning rubber. I told him, “Man, I’ve already had a bad day – slow down, I don’t need to be in a car wreck too.” By this time my head was clearing up.

Part 2

We pulled into Elkins General Hospital, not the place you want to go for a trauma injury.

Wes ran in to get help as Phil helped me get out of the truck. I was walking toward the door when a security guard casually came pushing a wheelchair out the door to get me.

I walked over, and sat down. The security guard just stood there in shock. I thought “Great, I’m going to have to walk on in.” Mind you that this is the front door of the hospital, not the ER.
Phil grabbed the chair and wheeled me inside. I was met by a large number of astonished staff. I imagine that people in the waiting area were amazed that some guy with no face just came in the front door. I remember seeing a woman with the horrified look on her face as she was covering her child’s eyes. 

They started working on me. They started to cut off my carhart bibs and boots. I stopped them and told them I would take them off myself. I raised up and they helped undress me. That was a lot of money they were getting ready to cut up, and I didn’t want them to ruin a good set of carharts or rocky boots.

As they worked on me I talked some. Most avoided looking at my face and tried to comfort me. Most of the nurses were wearing short sleeved white shirts. I was amazed at how much of my blood they had all over them. On their arms and splattered on their shirts. At one point one made a comment like, “we’ll fix you up.” I said, “I used to have a nose. It was something like hers [pointing to one nurse], but not quite as pointy. It was more like hers [pointing to another nurse]. That nurse turned white, walked out of the room, and never saw her again. I figure she is a librarian somewhere nowdays.

They tried a cat scan but I couldn’t stay laying down long enough because I was drowning in my blood. The guy running the machine was rude and said “You have to remain lying down for 3 minutes until we are done.”
I told him that I could only hold my breath for about 1 minute and that I was going to drown in 3. After several attempts they quit trying.


Part 3

My supervisor showed up and asked if he wanted him to call my wife. They had already called the life flight in and were moving me to Charleston (160 miles away by road). I said, “Call my wife and tell her that I have a broken nose and they are taking me to Charleston for surgery. He called and told her.

Unfortunately, the guy we left standing on the hill had already called our office. The owner of the company had already called her and said that I was injured with a chainsaw to the face. She said after that call she couldn’t stand up out of the kitchen floor.
The latter phone call eased her nerves enough to where she could drive to the hospital.
As I flew in, I was in and out. I raised up as we flew into Charleston and I looked over on the hill where my Dad was building a new house. I thought, “I wonder why no one is working on the house? The weather is great.” It was because they were all waiting at the hospital for me.




Part 4

We land, and they started to unload me. The flight nurse left the IV bag in the helicopter as they tried to pull me out. They tugged 3 times, I was screaming in pain and finally grabbed the nurse by the arm and tried to put her in as much pain as I was in. Yes, an IV line and a surgical sized hepernlock (sp?) in your arm will keep 3 men from pulling the gurney out of a helicopter. It did some major damage to my arm and bent the needle into a “J” shape.

I saw my wife, mom, and dad before surgery and woke up sometime the next afternoon. I couldn’t open my eyes due to swelling. I laid there and listened to people come and go and talk about my condition. The next morning I had enough strength to open my eyes and motion people. I went home and was back at work 5- weeks later because workmans compensation sucks so bad, that I was about to go under financially. I showed up for work and went back out. I worked 3 weeks before I got my first check from Comp. The same day I got my first pay check from work. I was starting to have bills that were late.

I don’t look the same after, but overall my appearance is normal. My teeth don’t mesh right, and I have weird feelings and sensations in my face now. My vision isn’t as good, and have pain sometimes. 

I was eventually compensated for my time off, and didn’t sue or get any settlements. I was the supervisor on the job, I was running the saw, and the accident was my fault. I’m just happy to be alive, close to normal, and still employed. No one was at fault besides myself, so no owed me anything. I’m greatful for modern medicine and good surgeons.
Overall, I’m happy to be here and happy to be alive.


----------



## Oldtimer

Good lord. This is the kind of story we all need to read from time to time.
Thanks, and I hope you never need write another story like this again.


----------



## pdqdl

I take it they found your nose?


----------



## RVALUE

silverzuk said:


> Pdqdl asked if I would tell the rest of the story, so here it is.
> 
> First off, I was in my mid 20's and knew how to operate a saw. I knew nothing at the time on how to cut trees. I cut quite a bit at work and cut firewood growing up. I am glad to survived to eventually learn better and safer ways to cut.
> 
> I has posted this story on an offroad forum years ago, and I had to go back to find it.
> 
> I got a helicopter ride, 5 hours of surgery, 4 titanium plates and 20 screws to put my face back together.
> 
> I was working and cutting a relatively small tree (10 to 12 inch white oak) that I didn't notch. It barber chaired and kicked off the stump, hitting me in the face.
> 
> I had under cut the tree, then started angling in from the high side. The tree started to go and leaned into another tree top. The trunk was at a slight angle.
> Better judgment was over ruled because we were behind a deadline and I was pushing it way too hard. That tree was cocked cannon.
> 
> I stepped in beside the tree, touched the heart of the tree with the saw.
> I saw a flash of wood and felt pain in my shins.
> I opened my eyes about 15-feet away from the tree, laid out on my back with the saw still in my hands running. I sat up, turned off the saw, yelled for help and started the damage assessment.
> 
> I stood up, and couldn’t see my nose. I knew it was broken (understatement – I didn’t have a nose anymore). I thought, “I bet I lost some teeth in this one”, and ran my tongue around my mouth feeling my teeth. Oddly, they were all there, but I couldn’t figure out why my upper right rear molar was where my front teeth used to be. My front teeth were rotated around to the left side of my mouth. I was bleeding badly.
> The guys I worked with got there and wanted to see the damage. I didn’t want them to freak, so I reached down grabbed my hat, put it on, and told them “Get me out of here.”
> 
> Here is the second big mistake of the day. The truck was about a ¼ mile away. We took off running toward the truck, while one guy steadied me on each arm. As I ran, blood way spraying out in front of me and I can still recall hearing splatter on the leaves.
> I thought, “I’ve killed deer that didn’t bleed this much.”. Don’t EVER let someone that is hurt run, it just pumps the blood our faster.
> 
> We got to the truck and one guy got in back, me in the passengers seat and another guy was driving. We left the fourth guy on the hill with the equipment (he was in radio contact of another crew). He was in shock and never moved from behind the survey instrument during the incident.
> 
> We were driving off the mountain, but the guys didn’t know how to get off the mountain. We had surveyed up one side the previous two days, and that morning I hiked off to get the truck. I drove around to the next town, and up the other side of the mountain.
> I was fading in and out due to blood loss. They kept yelling at me saying “Matt, stay awake – which way do we need to go.” There were a lot of logging roads that zig zagged up the mountain. I stayed conscious and pointed the right direction off the hill.
> 
> We hit the highway and Wes was burning rubber. I told him, “Man, I’ve already had a bad day – slow down, I don’t need to be in a car wreck too.” By this time my head was clearing up.
> 
> Part 2
> 
> We pulled into Elkins General Hospital, not the place you want to go for a trauma injury.
> 
> Wes ran in to get help as Phil helped me get out of the truck. I was walking toward the door when a security guard casually came pushing a wheelchair out the door to get me.
> 
> I walked over, and sat down. The security guard just stood there in shock. I thought “Great, I’m going to have to walk on in.” Mind you that this is the front door of the hospital, not the ER.
> Phil grabbed the chair and wheeled me inside. I was met by a large number of astonished staff. I imagine that people in the waiting area were amazed that some guy with no face just came in the front door. I remember seeing a woman with the horrified look on her face as she was covering her child’s eyes.
> 
> They started working on me. They started to cut off my carhart bibs and boots. I stopped them and told them I would take them off myself. I raised up and they helped undress me. That was a lot of money they were getting ready to cut up, and I didn’t want them to ruin a good set of carharts or rocky boots.
> 
> As they worked on me I talked some. Most avoided looking at my face and tried to comfort me. Most of the nurses were wearing short sleeved white shirts. I was amazed at how much of my blood they had all over them. On their arms and splattered on their shirts. At one point one made a comment like, “we’ll fix you up.” I said, “I used to have a nose. It was something like hers [pointing to one nurse], but not quite as pointy. It was more like hers [pointing to another nurse]. That nurse turned white, walked out of the room, and never saw her again. I figure she is a librarian somewhere nowdays.
> 
> They tried a cat scan but I couldn’t stay laying down long enough because I was drowning in my blood. The guy running the machine was rude and said “You have to remain lying down for 3 minutes until we are done.”
> I told him that I could only hold my breath for about 1 minute and that I was going to drown in 3. After several attempts they quit trying.
> 
> 
> Part 3
> 
> My supervisor showed up and asked if he wanted him to call my wife. They had already called the life flight in and were moving me to Charleston (160 miles away by road). I said, “Call my wife and tell her that I have a broken nose and they are taking me to Charleston for surgery. He called and told her.
> 
> Unfortunately, the guy we left standing on the hill had already called our office. The owner of the company had already called her and said that I was injured with a chainsaw to the face. She said after that call she couldn’t stand up out of the kitchen floor.
> The latter phone call eased her nerves enough to where she could drive to the hospital.
> As I flew in, I was in and out. I raised up as we flew into Charleston and I looked over on the hill where my Dad was building a new house. I thought, “I wonder why no one is working on the house? The weather is great.” It was because they were all waiting at the hospital for me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Part 4
> 
> We land, and they started to unload me. The flight nurse left the IV bag in the helicopter as they tried to pull me out. They tugged 3 times, I was screaming in pain and finally grabbed the nurse by the arm and tried to put her in as much pain as I was in. Yes, an IV line and a surgical sized hepernlock (sp?) in your arm will keep 3 men from pulling the gurney out of a helicopter. It did some major damage to my arm and bent the needle into a “J” shape.
> 
> I saw my wife, mom, and dad before surgery and woke up sometime the next afternoon. I couldn’t open my eyes due to swelling. I laid there and listened to people come and go and talk about my condition. The next morning I had enough strength to open my eyes and motion people. I went home and was back at work 5- weeks later because workmans compensation sucks so bad, that I was about to go under financially. I showed up for work and went back out. I worked 3 weeks before I got my first check from Comp. The same day I got my first pay check from work. I was starting to have bills that were late.
> 
> I don’t look the same after, but overall my appearance is normal. My teeth don’t mesh right, and I have weird feelings and sensations in my face now. My vision isn’t as good, and have pain sometimes.
> 
> I was eventually compensated for my time off, and didn’t sue or get any settlements. I was the supervisor on the job, I was running the saw, and the accident was my fault. I’m just happy to be alive, close to normal, and still employed. No one was at fault besides myself, so no owed me anything. I’m greatful for modern medicine and good surgeons.
> Overall, I’m happy to be here and happy to be alive.



Well written story, especially the 'ending'. Great that you are able to write it!

PS I've kidded with the doctors and nurses every time I've been in the hospital. Not always the best way though. Some librarian, classic. I've had the doctors take out the humor pretty fast too, when they get your attention.

Good Post.


----------



## RVALUE

pdqdl said:


> I take it they found your nose?



OR just re-arrange the splinters into something that looks reasonable.


----------



## LarryTheCableGuy

Oldtimer said:


> Good lord. This is the kind of story we all need to read from time to time.
> Thanks, and I hope you never need write another story like this again.



Yeah, it certainly gets your attention!

I'm glad that you healed up as well as you did - I also admire your ethic. 



.


----------



## Burvol

Mercy....


----------



## silverzuk

pdqdl said:


> I take it they found your nose?



They made me a new one. It doesn't look the same, but you really can't tell what happened unless you look at old pictures.

I am living proof that you have to be tough to be stupid. I learned that when I foul something up to turn off the saw, study it, and think of what can happen.
If I'm not very confident that I can do it safely - I don't do it.

Getting in a hurry will get you killed.


----------



## gwiley

Thanks for the story - you have convinced me to never skip strapping or chaining leaners or anything that I think is at risk of barber chair.


----------



## outofmytree

silverzuk said:


> I am living proof that you have to be tough to be stupid.



Brother after that story and this statement you have my utmost respect. Anyone can make a mistake. Real men are those that tell you about em, admit to em, and laugh about em.

Repped.


----------



## trimmmed

pdqdl said:


> Broken ribs aren't hardly worth worrying about. They hurt for a while, but you get over them in about a month. I guess some folks get perforated lungs, but that is pretty uncommon.



I have to disagree with the ribs being nothing to worry about! Ribs suck! 

I did a 2 story free fall off a scaffold that gave way. Landed with a thud. Gravity sucks! Broke my ribs, doc's said nothing they could do, try and take it easy and maybe they will heal. 
Well 20 years later they still act up every now and again, if I get in just the right position under load. Carrying 4x8 sheet goods can do it. Then something goes twang! and I'm on the couch for a few days, painful to even sit up. Then it goes away. The go away periods have been longer and longer over time. But ribs suck!


----------



## Jumper

Broken back and broken arm while jumping out of a perfectly good airplane in
Zagreb, Croatia when I will still in the Army. Still have the souvenir plate installed in my arm by a US Army Orthopaedic surgeon at the American Forces hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, near Ramstein, AB.


----------



## Grace Tree

Jumper said:


> Broken back and broken arm while jumping out of a perfectly good airplane in
> Zagreeb, Croatia when I will still in the Army. Still have the souvenir plate installed in my arm by a US Army Orthopaedic surgeon at the American Forces hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, near Ramstein, AB.


Thanks for your service and your sacrifice. 
Phil


----------



## RVALUE

trimmmed said:


> I have to disagree with the ribs being nothing to worry about! Ribs suck!
> 
> I did a 2 story free fall off a scaffold that gave way. Landed with a thud. Gravity sucks! Broke my ribs, doc's said nothing they could do, try and take it easy and maybe they will heal.
> Well 20 years later they still act up every now and again, if I get in just the right position under load. Carrying 4x8 sheet goods can do it. Then something goes twang! and I'm on the couch for a few days, painful to even sit up. Then it goes away. The go away periods have been longer and longer over time. But ribs suck!



Would this be a good place to put: WAA WAA WAA WAA ?


----------



## pdqdl

trimmmed said:


> I have to disagree with the ribs being nothing to worry about! Ribs suck!
> ...



Sorry yours didn't turn out so well.

SEE! I told you I heal well. Mine have never bothered me again, once I got them set. And I have done it three different times. 

[Short ribs are the most painful, as they are closest to where you bend at the waist, and they are not supported on both ends.]


----------



## RVALUE

I have a non-recommendable soloution to the bending problem. Have your back fused, and get a titanium cage. 

Again, not recommended.


----------



## semiferger

My first major injury i dont remember at all, but i was about two years old and i guess i was messing with a dog who didnt exactly take kindly to my playfulness. basically i pulled on its tale and it proceeded to bite my cheeck off, yes i said off... well it was barely hanging on my face and they were able to reattach it... all i have now is a dimple when i smile real hard.

at the age of six i wiped out on the pavement like a little retard and skinned my thumb knuckle down to the bone.

age 16, my friend decided it would be cool to push me over a speed bump (meant for cars) in my wheelchair, while running as fast as he possibly could. well, we hit the bump together and i flipped backwards knocking him on his ass and we both skid a good five or ten feet, resulting in the most blood i had ever shed in an injury.


----------



## Saw Seller

I cut a large maple tree limb from a ladder, only about 7 feet up. I reached over & was about halfway through when the limb came back at me from about 4 feet away. It split odd & tore me off the ladder & I fell on my side. I had tossed my chainsaw as far as I could, nevertheless when I fell my leg went across the powerhead. Guess what fell on top of that leg then? The tree branch pinned my leg to the saw. I lifted the large branch enough to free my leg while laying down. A large man that came to help couldn't lift it off my chainsaw while standing up. This was a short fall but a bad one. I don't saw from ladders anymore, Randy


----------



## dandandatreeman

Well about two years ago I fell 40ft. I was tied off walked out on a limb about 20ft from tree when the limb I was on and safetied to broke and sent me on a ride. On the top of my backswing the top broke out and landed on me. After I went 40ft to the ground. One of my friends was there and broke down the neighbors door to call an ambulance. Now I have a reminder on my left wrist on how I don't need to take stupid risks. Broke that wrist and have shrapnel in it for the rest of my life. Also had bad concussion and cracked pelvis. Back to climbing after 4 weeks. Glad to ne here to tell the story.


----------



## ryan_marine

I had a beach tree that was cut all the way trough. It was leaning in to some small cherry trees. I decided in my bright mind to pull the bottem of the log out. Well the beach snag came back over and dislocated right shoulder broke 4 ribs. Thank heaven that the tractor was not hurt. Tractor is a 1956 John Deere 320.

Ray


----------



## doogiegh

*Omg!*



jefflovstrom said:


> I am the oldest of four brothers, I remember we told my lil bro to jump off of our two story house with an umbrella. I got the whippin of a life time for that!
> Jeff





THAT is freaking hilarious!!


----------



## jefflovstrom

The next whippin was we were moving to California from Florida and we took our cat. Every time the cat pooped, my dad had to stop at a rest area to throw away the poop. I guess the cat was not comfortable in a car ride 2000 miles. After we got thru the pan handle of Florida, my dad said the next time the cat poops, just pick it up and throw it out the window. Sure enough, about 2 hours later, I threw the cat out the window. 
Jeff


----------



## RandyMac

I've had some good ones. So, we going for number of stitches, number of broken bones or length of recovery?


----------



## keith811

I can say that I have been very lucky and have not had any serious injuries, I almost cut my my toe off with a chainsaw. I hit a barbed wire fence while clearing some underbrush from a right of way and the saw kicked down as I was cutting up. And I got the crap knocked out of me by a tree getting eaten by an industrial sized chipper. I only flew about 15' took it right in the gut. ( luckily I have always had a bit of a beer belly I think my fat may have saved my likfe LOL). getting hit by the log hurt more than chipping the bone in my toe with the chainsaw. I've had lots of accidents but those are the only injuries other than minor cuts and bruises


----------



## 056 kid

jefflovstrom said:


> The next whippin was we were moving to California from Florida and we took our cat. Every time the cat pooped, my dad had to stop at a rest area to throw away the poop. I guess the cat was not comfortable in a car ride 2000 miles. After we got thru the pan handle of Florida, my dad said the next time the cat poops, just pick it up and throw it out the window. Sure enough, about 2 hours later, I threw the cat out the window.
> Jeff



So did you write that cause you are now waiting to recieve the worst injury of your life??

if you really did throw an animal outa window of a moving vehicle, well Satin will take care of you nice and good...


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## EdenT

*That's kinky!*



056 kid said:


> well Satin will take care of you nice and good...



I assume you meant the prince of darkness (Satan) as opposed to the sexy bed sheets (Satin)!


----------



## hunter0182

*worst injury*



mndlawn said:


> What was your worst injury?


Well i have had several,a tree related in 2001 i was cutting a 100 yr old red oak 60 ft tall, i was at about 25 feet and cut a 24 inch limb,it hit the ground and sprang back up,i had a safety belt on and could not move out of the way enough a spur on the limb stuck in my shoulder and the limb pinned my arm to the tree and slid down my arm crushing it, it turned black,the doctors were not sure if i would regain use or even keep the arm for a long time,but other than a scar and a little arthritis i have full use of it.
in 1990 i had a tank of acetylene blow up in my shop,about 20 ft from me,it busted both ear drums, the flash burned all my hair off my body top to bottom,took my shirt off,layed my side open and put me through a wall,i got up off the floor and walked out of the shop i was told it looked like something off the three stooges,i was smoking,i also had a flash bruise that ran from my neck all the way down into my boot, i have a small scar on my side and have had several surgeries on my ears i still have a whistling sound in one ear and only about half hearing in it,


----------



## jefflovstrom

EdenT said:


> I assume you meant the prince of darkness (Satan) as opposed to the sexy bed sheets (Satin)!



Eden is witty!
Jeff


----------



## 056 kid

EdenT said:


> I assume you meant the prince of darkness (Satan) as opposed to the sexy bed sheets (Satin)!



Yea, i dont like the guy, i never remember how to spell his name right:spam:


----------



## pdqdl

hunter0182 said:


> ...
> in 1990 i had a tank of acetylene blow up in my shop,about 20 ft from me,...



That sounds pretty bad. Was it truly the tank that ruptured, or did you just have a leak that exploded inside the building?

If you ruptured the tank, how did that happen?


BTW: That getting pinned by the branch sounds bad, too. I presume that you peeled a branch that reached all the way to the ground? Would a pop cut have eliminated the problem?


----------



## hunter0182

pdqdl said:


> That sounds pretty bad. Was it truly the tank that ruptured, or did you just have a leak that exploded inside the building?
> 
> If you ruptured the tank, how did that happen?
> 
> 
> BTW: That getting pinned by the branch sounds bad, too. I presume that you peeled a branch that reached all the way to the ground? Would a pop cut have eliminated the problem?



well a neighbor went in and knocked the torch head off the table,and it opened the acetylene valve,the building i came in with a arm of trash bags,when i smelled the acetylene i throwed them down ,and the static set off the acetylene,raised the roof 6 inches,fire chief said it was equal to 3 sticks of dynamite,a lady 3/4 of a mile away said it broke dishes in her china cabinet,
on the tree i should have did a pop cut ,but i thought it would just slide off,it broke and had that big spur and sprang back up,and i had no where to go


----------



## pdqdl

I too have been "had" by static, trash bags, and acetylene. But I wasn't hurt by it.

I used to fill small trash bags (or the mylar grocery bags) with 50/50 acetylene/oxygen to make little bombs with. Tie on some cotton string, light it, and stand back!

I was filling one one day, and squeezed it to get the corners expanded. BOOM! It blew a hole in my shirt and covered me from head to toe with tiny little tatters of plastic. My ears were ringing for 3 days. No harm otherwise.

I have always presumed that a static spark set it off. Your experience sounds *much* worse.

Incidentally, acetylene has no odor. It is unstable under pressure, so it is dissolved into an acetone/solvent liquid inside a porous-material filled tank. It is the acetone/solvent that you smell. The porous material that fills the tank prevents sloshing about with subsequent explosion.

Since the acetylene is actually in solution, larger torches require a larger tank to supply them, as the acetylene must "evaporate" out of the solution inside the tank. If the tank is too small, it can't evaporate enough material, and you experience problems running your torch. My rosebud tip (a bit too large for my tank) will make rapid explosions ("machine gun") if the pressure is too low and the oxygen and acetylene are not set to equal pressure.


----------



## tree md

You guys remind me of this guy:












Also made me think about the safety films they used to show us of demolished buildings in welding shop when I was in tech school. The acetylene explosions would demolish the building, the oxygen tanks would take off like missiles and blow holes through cinder block walls. My shop teacher would do a demonstration by bumming a cigarette off of a student, lighting it, placing the filter to the tip of the torch he would turn on the oxygen and the entire cigarette would incinerate. Then he would pull out a tattered shop uniform shirt and the remains of a bic lighter and tell us that's what happens when a piece of slag jumps off into the pocket of a shop shirt and lands on your cigarette lighter.


----------



## EdenT

056 kid said:


> Yea, i dont like the guy, i never remember how to spell his name right:spam:



Thank heavens for that, the image of a seven foot, chainsaw wielding, viking, dressed in a satin bed sheet is a way more terrifying thought! :spam:


----------



## pdqdl

tree md said:


> You guys remind me of this guy:
> ...



Yep! That's about what I felt like too. 

I don't think I have done that anymore. If I do, I'll be wearing ear and eye protection.


----------



## RVALUE

I had a close call yesterday, and thank the Lord I didn't end up on this thread, unseating PDQDL as king.


----------



## gwiley

RVALUE said:


> I had a close call yesterday, and thank the Lord I didn't end up on this thread, unseating PDQDL as king.



Care to share some details to help keep the rest of us alert?


----------



## RVALUE

gwiley said:


> Care to share some details to help keep the rest of us alert?



I was being lazy and broke a few safety rules involving moving a tractor without sitting in the seat. In the snow. And, you get the picture without totally incriminating myself.


----------



## gwiley

RVALUE said:


> I was being lazy and broke a few safety rules involving moving a tractor without sitting in the seat. In the snow. And, you get the picture without totally incriminating myself.



I was doing that kind of thing on a regular basis until I started reading FACE reports (Fatality Accidents) involving skid steers. A couple of nicely detailed accounts involving death was enough to get me to operate the machine safely without suffering a serious injury.


----------



## PWB

tree md said:


> I came 20' out of a tree and fractured my heel. It actually exploded. The head radiologist lady got onto the young x-ray tech when she thought she screwed up on the x-ray. She took one herself then came back in and told me I no longer had a heel. Was bedridden for a month, walked on crutches for 6 and had to walk with the aid of a cane for the rest of the year.Kept me out of the trees for a couple of years.Was 2 years before I was healed up enough to climb again. Stupid mistake. I was taking a shortcut, using a ladder. First time I had ever used a ladder an 10 years of climbing. My story is in this forum a few years back so I won't go into the whole rigmarole.


I feel your pain. Fell off a truckload of hay, about 12 feet down.(30 years ago) Landed on my feet(on concrete) but ended up flat on the ground. x-ray of the heel was so bad they had to operate to figure out what to do with it. Waited a week or so in the hospital for the swelling to go down enough to work on it.... surgeon told me after the operation there was 25 or 30 pieces, he threw some away and stapled the rest back together. They taped it up, told me to use it all I could but don't put any weight on it. I was back to work in three months, good but not full mobility. Used to run when I was a kid, won't take the pounding now. Can usually tell when there's a change coming in the weather too. Did a few dumber things, but that was the most major damage.........


----------



## seattletreecare

semiferger said:


> My first major injury i dont remember at all, but i was about two years old and i guess i was messing with a dog who didnt exactly take kindly to my playfulness. basically i pulled on its tale and it proceeded to bite my cheeck off, yes i said off... well it was barely hanging on my face and they were able to reattach it... all i have now is a dimple when i smile real hard.
> 
> at the age of six i wiped out on the pavement like a little retard and skinned my thumb knuckle down to the bone.
> 
> age 16, my friend decided it would be cool to push me over a speed bump (meant for cars) in my wheelchair, while running as fast as he possibly could. well, we hit the bump together and i flipped backwards knocking him on his ass and we both skid a good five or ten feet, resulting in the most blood i had ever shed in an injury.



wow, sounds quite painful. I only bit my tongue off a few years back, but the doc sew it back and now it's just as functional as before.


----------



## Lugnutz

I've been very lucky, mostly bumps and bruises and minor stitches. Ran a hacksaw thru my right thumb at work, dead center of the nail, to almost dead center of the bone. Got left ring finger blown out like a squashed cherry tomato at work as well, got caught between too large chunks of metal in a press that was down for maint work. Had to use a bottle jack to get me out. That was maybe 5 years ago still hurts now and then and the fingernail is horrid but nothing major.

At home I feel thru a ceiling, it was a drop ceiling and I had climbed up a wobbly step ladder ( which I thought would probably kill me in itself ) and wiggled my way thru the entrance hole to the attic. I was sitting in the opening trying to figure out where I could put weight and how I was going to stand up. Well I didn't have to think about it long, the 2x's that framed the entrance gave way dropping me straight down on top of the ladder which actuall probably saved me some damage. I had an indent to my thigh from the top of the ladder and a nice hole in one leg where my wife found denim from my jeans when she cleaned me up after she came home from work. Both under arms to about mid biceps were black and blue, mostly black. 
Had some mishaps on bikes and motorcycles as a kid but no lasting damage, on second thought that might be why I'm a little screwy these days.

Yesterday I got as close to major disaster as I ever want to get with a saw. Not sure how it happened but after cutting a small tree and making my way to safety I nicked my shin. Scared was the only thing in my head. This didn't happen by fleeing the scene with the saw running, I was in the process of comeing up from a squatting position and pivoting towards my escape path. Think maybe I snagged some scrubbrush or a vine and it twisted the bar back to me where it grabbed my pants and then nicked my shin. Lesson learned wear chaps and take a bit of time to clean up the cutting area of snag'ums and such.

All in all I've been lucky, as most of these events have had the potential to be way worse than they were.


----------



## tubedyota

pdqdl said:


> Yeah...I know that now.
> 
> When I got radiator burned, it was mostly because I was trying to prove a point. I had just paid some jackleg mechanics to fix an engine, and it was still overheating badly. They drove it around the block, and said " no problem, see?"
> 
> I said "BS!, see for yourself!" Even though I turned it to the vent position, I was not being very careful. After I got out of the spray and turned around to watch, that car was still shooting hot water over the garage roof.
> 
> That was many years ago when I was much more hardened [young and stupid?]. I never even went to the doctor on that little incident. Outcome? No infections, no scars on my face, it only scarred my arm a little bit where the t-shirt sleeve held the heat against my skin too long. It felt like a really good slap in the face at first, but was pretty sticky and unpleasant for the next month.
> 
> Summertime 1983



i was tuning my 57 chev before my next pass and the upper radiator hose blew off aimed right at my face. i know how u felt. nothing like scalding hot antifreeze in your eyeballs. needless to say i was done racing for the day.


----------



## RVALUE

pdqdl said:


> Sure! I have had everything happen to me already. What's to worry about?



That's what I thought too. Yesterday, I was trying alittle underwater cutting torch, and ran out of shield air. On the way to fetch more, I stopped to push up the burning brush from tree trimming pile. My wife called wondering where I was, as she couldn't see me on the dock. 

She mentioned that "we've been through fires, broken backs, de-capitiations, etc. but never drowned. So she said there was one left....

PS I got radiator burned pretty good under my arm once too, only listed injury in a S. Cal fire report. Same inconvience for a month or so.


----------



## stihl sawing

RVALUE said:


> That's what I thought too. Yesterday, I was trying alittle underwater cutting torch, and ran out of shield air. On the way to fetch more, I stopped to push up the burning brush from tree trimming pile. My wife called wondering where I was, as she couldn't see me on the dock.
> 
> She mentioned that "we've been through fires, broken backs, de-capitiations, etc. but never drowned. So she said there was one left....
> 
> PS I got radiator burned pretty good under my arm once too, only listed injury in a S. Cal fire report. Same inconvience for a month or so.


Dan......Are we gonna have to confine you to a steel cage.lol maybe you won't get out and hurt yourself.lol


----------



## RVALUE

stihl sawing said:


> Dan......Are we gonna have to confine you to a steel cage.lol maybe you won't get out and hurt yourself.lol



But I DIDN"T drown......yet. Ever tried underwater welding? On propane tanks? :hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## stihl sawing

RVALUE said:


> But I DIDN"T drown......yet. Ever tried underwater welding? On propane tanks? :hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:


Nope, I can't weld good on dry land.lol


----------



## RVALUE

stihl sawing said:


> Nope, I can't weld good on dry land.lol



You know my motto, Safety First. the truck is full of PPE.


----------



## electric saws

*good for a laugh?*

Well I missed an injury yesterday, so I was happy to stumble upon this thread. 
I was working in close quarters by 2 sprung trees with a 3rd log ontop of one. Everything looked & felt stable enough. Just before I was about to step in between the trees to finish a cut, the log rolled. I felt humbled & lucky. 
Thanks for this thread & reminding me why the saying exists "safety first".
Fortunately the only injury I've had so far was a tick on my scrotum. No lyme disease.


----------



## RVALUE

electric saws said:


> Well I missed an injury yesterday, so I was happy to stumble upon this thread.
> I was working in close quarters by 2 sprung trees with a 3rd log ontop of one. Everything looked & felt stable enough. Just before I was about to step in between the trees to finish a cut, the log rolled. I felt humbled & lucky.
> Thanks for this thread & reminding me why the saying exists "safety first".
> Fortunately the only injury I've had so far was a tick on my scrotum. No lyme disease.



In my physical condition I would consider a tick to the scrotum "chum". Trying to entice a little activity.


----------



## perchhauler

*chainsaw cut.*

havent been online in a long time. First time I've ever cut myself last may-n hope its the last... Was cuttin paperwood, fell a tree, took my escape route, and tripped on a vine.. Usually I'll hit the brake or kill switch, but in this situation til I backed out of the cut couldnt get it done til I tripped, and usually in a fall get used to throwing the saw away, but came down on the bar with the chain still movin.. cut my arm on the underside below the elbow, got some muscle nerves screwedup for good and covered with blood in seconds.. Yep just had to hit an artery, shoved a rag on it got to the landowners house they took me to get put back together dropped me back at my camp about 10:30 or so that night, next morning for two days I was skiddin logs with a good mare, and it felt good to be out there!


----------



## coyotencuttin

*i know this place likes pictures......*

just did this yesterday.View attachment 133185
and this about an hour later.View attachment 133186
the dr. at the hospital said 12.5 cm and 15 stitches.was in the process of cutting down a small maple and was trimming the small limbs up. went to step over some trimmings and was gonna shut the saw off, the chain was almost stopped. just knicked me a little. didn't feel a thing.just felt my new pants pull.really didn't bleed much though, but it did run down into my boots for a little. when i picked up my saws i looked at my chaps and thought " its only a little tree, i don't need them" now i won't grab the saw without reaching for the chaps first.i was very lucky, a little more to the right, alittle more power and it would have a very different outcome. harold


----------



## thepheniox

Feet slipped out while climbing a large willow, bumped a stub just above "the package". That 6 inch slip into the trunk gave me a nasty hernia that had to get repaired. Now I try never to leave stubs on the way up I was just being lazy and didn't want to haul up the saw to cut it off on the way up.


----------



## stihl sawing

coyotencuttin said:


> just did this yesterday.View attachment 133185
> and this about an hour later.View attachment 133186
> the dr. at the hospital said 12.5 cm and 15 stitches.was in the process of cutting down a small maple and was trimming the small limbs up. went to step over some trimmings and was gonna shut the saw off, the chain was almost stopped. just knicked me a little. didn't feel a thing.just felt my new pants pull.really didn't bleed much though, but it did run down into my boots for a little. when i picked up my saws i looked at my chaps and thought " its only a little tree, i don't need them" now i won't grab the saw without reaching for the chaps first.i was very lucky, a little more to the right, alittle more power and it would have a very different outcome. harold


Ouch, Hope ya get healed up quick.


----------



## jefflovstrom

My worst injury is to my eyes from having to follow this thread! Do you really think a real tree guy is gonna get in on this? I wont even describe some of mine . Make a safety meeting out of it and quit burning my eye's! 
Be easy on me- Jeff


----------



## electric saws

*relax*



jefflovstrom said:


> My worst injury is to my eyes from having to follow this thread! Do you really think a real tree guy is gonna get in on this? I wont even describe some of mine . Make a safety meeting out of it and quit burning my eye's!
> Be easy on me- Jeff



This is my safety meeting; the only one I have access to. I use these stories as a reminder of what can happen in case stupid sneaks up on me when I'm cutting. Due to what I've read here, I'm twitching like a junkie waiting for my chaps to arrive on Monday 'cuz I vowed to stop cutting until they arrive. It's a huge help to learn from others' injury experience. Thanks to all those who've shared their stories.


----------



## hunter0182

*Close call*

Today i had a close call,i was cutting a 80ft tall white oak had a twin as a fork, and had a big limb on the side i wanted to fall to,what i didnt see was a six inch limb about 25 ft up growed around the sister tree,so i cut my notch out and went a few inches abouve in the back but it never started to lean,i got almost through it and relized something was wrong, i stepped to the side to look at the back when it popped and kicked out taking the saw out of my hand and pushing about a foot in the ground,saw is trashed,and i had only used it three times,scared the hell out of me,pour saw was still running in the ground ,i have never seen a limb that big wrapped around another tree,


----------



## jefflovstrom

You can't buy that "ride" or buy the experience you have gained. I remember years ago, my boss told me I am not a real tree guy until I cut myself with a chain saw. Kinda scared me, but I liked the work. That was in 1978, The guy I worked for had me on a " bowline on a bight" and soon bought me a saddle. Seemed like X-mas, Karl Kuemerling signature, still got it. Also got 3 chain saw cuts and 1 pole pruner cut. Maybe he was right, but I would use that experience to my benefit. I make my climbers use two lanyards for climbing over limbs so they are always tied in, cause I remember sliding down almost 30 feet with my lanyard. I think we become better by the experiences. 
Jeff


----------



## mimilkman1

I was 12 years old an climbing up the silo when my foot slipped off the step and I started falling, about 12 feet from the ground I grabbed a step and swung into the bar above it. I never went to the hospital for that one, but I was deeply bruised and had a hard time breathing for a couple days.

When I was 13 I was helping a neighbor unload hay, and while he was tossing bales onto the elevator I stepped forward to straighten a bale and a chain brought my right foot under a sprocket. Luckily the elevator was run by an electric motor which quit when my foot got under the sprocket. The boss reversed the wheel and got my foot out and I limped over to a shade tree and took off my boot and sock and saw blood pouring out between my 1st and 2nd toes. I thought I would just get a few stitches and be back the next day. I ended up going to the hospital and discovered all 5 toes were broken. One of the cogs on the sprocket left a perfect indentation in my 3rd toe. In all I had 1 compound fx of the big toe and 9 fractures in my toes in all. Doctors were worried I would lose circulation in my toes from the crush injury. I ended up healing fine, but I don't have much movement in those toes and that foot gets really cold fast in the winter. Dr figures if I would have had steel toes I would lost part of my foot.

Stay safe out there

Kyle


----------



## djberg

*not me but my aunt pulled this one...*

her and her husband were doing some magor cleaning out of thier house... with a dumpster... she goes out to the dumpster that is geting full, heaves what she is carrying up and partially in. so she climbs up and gives it a shove therest of the way in... loses her balance falls backwards, trying to catch her self, she managed to break bothof her fore arms(left and right)...

just think about that? you no longer have use of your arms pretty much from the shoulders down till about your fingers... she had to have her husband wipe her, now that's dedication.


----------



## RVALUE

djberg said:


> her and her husband were doing some magor cleaning out of thier house... with a dumpster... she goes out to the dumpster that is geting full, heaves what she is carrying up and partially in. so she climbs up and gives it a shove therest of the way in... loses her balance falls backwards, trying to catch her self, she managed to break bothof her fore arms(left and right)...
> 
> just think about that? you no longer have use of your arms pretty much from the shoulders down till about your fingers... she had to have her husband wipe her, now that's dedication.



And then the six weeks of answering "..... dumpster diving..."


----------



## FlyinBlind444

*My little boo-boo..*

Well I'm a noobie to the tree cutting world with only 4 years of exp.. Last year I was on the ground for a road "opening" (to let the sun hit the road to help melt snow in winter) with a local company in my area. First i should say I have alot more time in trees than on the ground.(I love to climb) Well I was on the ground with 2 other people and they were supposed to be stopping any traffic that came while I chipped and pulled brush. Well the guy in the bucket was starting to chunk down the pin of an 80' maple and a car was coming. The 2 others were gone and the car was just gonna go so I jump in front of them and got them stopped just in time for them to see me get slammed with the 10' chunk of pole that would have gone thu there roof. I caught the log with my leg rite above the knee. It pulled a 3'' wide 5'' long strip of flesh off my thigh, knee, and top of my shin. Some how my leg didn't break, but it looked like i had a basketball for a knee. I did not go to the doctor but couldn't walk for a week, and couldn't climb for a month. It's been a year and my knee is very stiff every morning and I have this crazy dark patch of skin across it. Just a side note I ran a service sole the year b4 with no incidents at all. I find that I am alot safer in the tree than most, always using rope and such. I now run a small service with a crew of 3 including my self. I don't use lifts but I do hire a 120' crane now and again. Also if I feel the job is out of my exp. level I trade it to the company I got hurt with and he'll give me a couple of his smaller jobs so the money is about the same. Don't know were I'd be with out him...


----------



## FlyinBlind444

djberg said:


> her and her husband were doing some magor cleaning out of thier house... with a dumpster... she goes out to the dumpster that is geting full, heaves what she is carrying up and partially in. so she climbs up and gives it a shove therest of the way in... loses her balance falls backwards, trying to catch her self, she managed to break bothof her fore arms(left and right)...
> 
> just think about that? you no longer have use of your arms pretty much from the shoulders down till about your fingers... she had to have her husband wipe her, now that's dedication.



I have an aunt that broke bolth her arm as well. On X-mass eve trying not to drop the pesents on ice.


----------



## Rudedog

Like a careless idiot I left my left hand between the the wood and steel plate of the splitter today and suffered a crush injury. I was so lucky that I did not shatter it. I had to get ten stitches to my ring finger There seems to be no breaks or tendon ruptures. I guess I would never be a candidate for a "Super Splitter". The machine would kill my careless ass.


----------



## stevohut

perchhauler said:


> havent been online in a long time. First time I've ever cut myself last may-n hope its the last... Was cuttin paperwood, fell a tree, took my escape route, and tripped on a vine.. Usually I'll hit the brake or kill switch, but in this situation til I backed out of the cut couldnt get it done til I tripped, and usually in a fall get used to throwing the saw away, but came down on the bar with the chain still movin.. cut my arm on the underside below the elbow, got some muscle nerves screwedup for good and covered with blood in seconds.. Yep just had to hit an artery, shoved a rag on it got to the landowners house they took me to get put back together dropped me back at my camp about 10:30 or so that night, next morning for two days I was skiddin logs with a good mare, and it felt good to be out there!



Just trying to invision that makes me freak out. Could have been worse, but still. I am so scared of that ever happening to me. Soon as I get some money I am going to get the best chaps they make just incase. Is there anything you can buy that protects your arms.

steve


----------



## stihl sawing

Rudedog said:


> Like a careless idiot I left my left hand between the the wood and steel plate of the splitter today and suffered a crush injury. I was so lucky that I did not shatter it. I had to get ten stitches to my ring finger There seems to be no breaks or tendon ruptures. I guess I would never be a candidate for a "Super Splitter". The machine would kill my careless ass.


OUCH, Sorry to hear. Good their no broken bones.


----------



## jefflovstrom

Rudedog said:


> Like a careless idiot I left my left hand between the the wood and steel plate of the splitter today and suffered a crush injury. I was so lucky that I did not shatter it. I had to get ten stitches to my ring finger There seems to be no breaks or tendon ruptures. I guess I would never be a candidate for a "Super Splitter". The machine would kill my careless ass.



Yup, You are a dumb-ass! At least you admit it! Chalk it up to experience!
Jeff CTSP


----------



## tree md

Rudedog said:


> Like a careless idiot I left my left hand between the the wood and steel plate of the splitter today and suffered a crush injury. I was so lucky that I did not shatter it. I had to get ten stitches to my ring finger There seems to be no breaks or tendon ruptures. I guess I would never be a candidate for a "Super Splitter". The machine would kill my careless ass.



Live and learn Marine.


----------



## stihl sawing

stevohut said:


> Just trying to invision that makes me freak out. Could have been worse, but still. I am so scared of that ever happening to me. Soon as I get some money I am going to get the best chaps they make just incase. Is there anything you can buy that protects your arms.
> 
> steve


Yes, some sponser here sells chaps for the arms, Can't remeber which one. Also their is a few that sell jackets that are for chain saftey.


----------



## tree md

stevohut said:


> Just trying to invision that makes me freak out. Could have been worse, but still. I am so scared of that ever happening to me. Soon as I get some money I am going to get the best chaps they make just incase. Is there anything you can buy that protects your arms.
> 
> steve



Steve, if you're skeered you can jump in my pocket.


----------



## jefflovstrom

Try a body sized kevlar condom.
Jeff


----------



## ropensaddle

pdqdl said:


> I broke three ribs in a minor fall in a tree once. I didn't even know it until hours after the incident. This was longer to heal and more painful than either of the later rib injuries. [No, I never went to the doctor]
> 
> I broke a couple of ribs running a walk-behind mower with a ride-on sulky: I crashed into a stump and stopped real short. [never went to the doctor]
> 
> I broke a rib or two when I got knocked out of a tree when the lowering rope got stuck in a narrow crotch. I was squealing like a little girl: "Let go of the rope!" It didn't help. Groundman was NOT at fault. [never went to the doctor]
> 
> Broken ribs aren't hardly worth worrying about. They hurt for a while, but you get over them in about a month. I guess some folks get perforated lungs, but that is pretty uncommon.
> 
> 
> Come on now guys! I know some of you have been hammered on the job! Let's hear about it.


Wow your a walking disaster lmfao. The worst I have done on the job in 27 years climbing is four stitches left hand and eight left eye brow from a ratchet and cheater pipe explosion lol. Off the job auto accident broke both color bones,smashed left scapula dislocated right,broke rib punctured lung"hurts like hell"and fractured vertebrae died and was revived!
That was my only bad except my right arm was cut by glass and lost some muscle and movement!


----------



## RVALUE

ropensaddle said:


> Wow your a walking disaster lmfao. The worst I have done on the job in 27 years climbing is four stitches left hand and eight left eye brow from a ratchet and cheater pipe explosion lol. Off the job auto accident broke both color bones,smashed left scapula dislocated right,broke rib punctured lung"hurts like hell"and fractured vertebrae died and was revived!
> That was my only bad except my right arm was cut by glass and lost some muscle and movement!



No wonder the ladies like you, having color bones and all.


----------



## ropensaddle

RVALUE said:


> No wonder the ladies like you, having color bones and all.



Lol they likes me for me lucky charms lol


----------



## stihl sawing

RVALUE said:


> No wonder the ladies like you, having color bones and all.


Yup, Did you notice how all the ladies was tryin to get near him at the GTG. When he climbed the tree, I thought we was at an Elvis concert. Women were passing out and hollering Ohhh Rope. Don't know who's pair of pantys that was at the base of the tree when he came down.I'm thinkin he's a chick magnet.


----------



## Art Vandelay

stihl sawing said:


> Yup, Did you notice how all the ladies was tryin to get near him at the GTG. When he climbed the tree, I thought we was at an Elvis concert. Women were passing out and hollering Ohhh Rope. Don't know who's pair of pantys that was at the base of the tree when he came down.I'm thinkin he's a chick magnet.



They weren't your pantys were they?:monkey:


----------



## ropensaddle

stihl sawing said:


> Yup, Did you notice how all the ladies was tryin to get near him at the GTG. When he climbed the tree, I thought we was at an Elvis concert. Women were passing out and hollering Ohhh Rope. Don't know who's pair of pantys that was at the base of the tree when he came down.I'm thinkin he's a chick magnet.



They feel sorry for me lol


----------



## stihl sawing

Art Vandelay said:


> They weren't your pantys were they?:monkey:


No, Mine have lace on them.


----------



## stevohut

tree md said:


> Steve, if you're skeered you can jump in my pocket.



LMAO that might be a good idea. I could probably learn a lot even while I'm choking on lint balls. Just promise you won't mistake me for your hanky.


----------



## treeclimber101

My worst injury is the day I accidentally ran my juevos through a bike sprocket I had three holes in the pouch....Hey you asked ...


----------



## bighugetrees

*Cut foot*

I cut left foot with saw just about mid foot. 3/4 down and about 3/4 across. Cut all tendons and all bones except one behind the pinky toe. My first thought was that I was going to need stitches then went to step down and it folded in the wrong spot.

5 hour surgery with 3.5 hours of removing sock and boot fragments from the cut. I am pretty close to normal now but cannot really lift my big toe still.

Saw passed through so fast and sharp the exray of bone was a perfect match to the bar. Square chisel was the best for this particular application.


----------



## mimilkman1

treeclimber101 said:


> My worst injury is the day I accidentally ran my juevos through a bike sprocket I had three holes in the pouch....Hey you asked ...



How in the :censored: did you...... nevermind.

Kyle


----------



## yooper

mimilkman1 said:


> How in the :censored: did you...... nevermind.
> 
> Kyle



No do tell us about that bob..inquiring mind wanna know.


----------



## yooper

working: just about cut big toe off with chain saw logging back in '93

Not working: car wheel went over opposite foot 2 times back when I was 16. ..was getting into back seat of rambler station wagon and the car started moving before I got in. foot got caught under wheel and went over it. driver noticed and backed up real fast not realizing he already went over the foot and reversed and went over my ankle. not much feeling in that foot any more.

not so bad work related: put 16 penny nail through hand with rheumatic nail gun. had to have surgery to remove.

Not so bad non work related: when I was 5 I crammed two marbles up my nose, had to have surgery to remove them too


----------



## garyischofield

3 fractured vertebrae from a widow maker thumping me on the head.Hit my hard hat and rocked my head forward .Ended up hitting my lower back fracturing the little horns sticking out to the side.Destroyed the nerves in an area the size of a pie plate.Eight days in the hospital.Hematoma (swelling),was the size of a football cut in half .Stayed swelled for 2-3 years before all the swelling went down.No feeling still in that nerve damaged area.(1987)I was trying to make up for some employees being on vacation.Glad to have lived through that with a 4 month old having just arrived.


----------



## stihl sawing

treeclimber101 said:


> My worst injury is the day I accidentally ran my juevos through a bike sprocket I had three holes in the pouch....Hey you asked ...


LOL, You ain't right. I'm like milkman, How the heck did you do that. You had to be riding nude.lol


----------



## treeclimber101

mimilkman1 said:


> How in the :censored: did you...... nevermind.
> 
> Kyle



I in my younger days I was a BMX racer and on that day my foot slipped off the pedal and I went over the side missing the sissy bar with my nuts only too land with old lefty on the side of the sprocket at about a 45* angle and since I was still moving forward my sack went right through between the chain and the sprocket right through the pouch, it was a dirty wound that needed to be scrubbed extensively at the ER by the a 60 yr old man nurse ...


----------



## yooper

stihl sawing said:


> LOL, You ain't right. I'm like milkman, How the heck did you do that. You had to be riding nude.lol



His chinese name.....Won Hong Lo


----------



## tree md




----------



## treeclimber101

stihl sawing said:


> LOL, You ain't right. I'm like milkman, How the heck did you do that. You had to be riding nude.lol



Read post #165 it wasn't fun..


----------



## stihl sawing

treeclimber101 said:


> I in my younger days I was a BMX racer and on that day my foot slipped off the pedal and I went over the side missing the sissy bar with my nuts only too land with old lefty on the side of the sprocket at about a 45* angle and since I was still moving forward my sack went right through between the chain and the sprocket right through the pouch, it was a dirty wound that needed to be scrubbed extensively at the ER by the a 60 yr old man nurse ...


I don't know whether to laugh or tell ya sorry. That had to hurt. But it's funny as heck now. So now you have an airerated sack huh?


----------



## RVALUE

stihl sawing said:


> I don't know whether to laugh or tell ya sorry. That had to hurt. But it's funny as heck now. So now you have an airerated sack huh?



Is that where air head children come from?:monkey:


----------



## treeclimber101

yooper said:


> His chinese name.....Won Hong Lo



If we ever hang out I'll show you the scar .... You'll puke I'm sure , my wifes made the mistake of asking to see it when we were dating in my 20's and she was shocked too say the least..


----------



## yooper

treeclimber101 said:


> I in my younger days I was a BMX racer and on that day my foot slipped off the pedal and I went over the side missing the sissy bar with my nuts only too land with old lefty on the side of the sprocket at about a 45* angle and since I was still moving forward my sack went right through between the chain and the sprocket right through the pouch, it was a dirty wound that needed to be scrubbed extensively at the ER by the a 60 yr old man nurse ...



where you free balling it? or did it pierce through pants grundys and sack?....lucky yer balls didn't fall out and role down the rode.


----------



## garyischofield

*what did you say to the triage nurse?*

I got my pocket caught in a sprocket.I know its weak.


----------



## treeclimber101

stihl sawing said:


> I don't know whether to laugh or tell ya sorry. That had to hurt. But it's funny as heck now. So now you have an airerated sack huh?



Maybe after a few beers I'll tell my vasectomy story by the gayest doctor that I have ever met...


----------



## stihl sawing

treeclimber101 said:


> Maybe after a few beers I'll tell my vasectomy story by the gayest doctor that I have ever met...


I'm Still laughin about the sack holes. TC, I apologize but man that's funny.


----------



## treeclimber101

yooper said:


> where you free balling it? or did it pierce through pants grundys and sack?....lucky yer balls didn't fall out and role down the rode.



No not commando racing pants and tighty whiteys and if you press your batwing into a meat grinder eventually it'll grab it . basically my entire body weight was laying on that sprocket and It went through from the top in the back to the bottom in the back a complete rotation


----------



## treeclimber101

stihl sawing said:


> I'm Still laughin about the sack holes. TC, I apologize but man that's funny.



F##K yea its funny I would be laughing my a#s off if I saw me running around holding my junk at the track , my father was less sympathetic than I expected It was hard for anyone to hold there laughter in ...


----------



## yooper

treeclimber101 said:


> No not commando racing pants and tighty whiteys and if you press your batwing into a meat grinder eventually it'll grab it . basically my entire body weight was laying on that sprocket and It went through from the top in the back to the bottom in the back a complete rotation



this hole (pun intended) conversation wants to make me barf


----------



## garyischofield

oooowwwww,my you know what is starting to pucker thinking about that deal.


----------



## treeclimber101

yooper said:


> this hole (pun intended) conversation wants to make me barf



Oh suck it up I had to live it at 14 yrs old in front of girls there was a EMT and all inspecting it in the middle of the track ...


----------



## garyischofield

Did he have to use a magnifying glass?Just asking.


----------



## stihl sawing

Don't know why that hit me as funny, I've had chains come off while hard peddling and straddle the bar. Talk about swelling.lol As a young kid i was kinda proud of them when they didn't hurt. Also have jumped motocross bikes and landed on the gas tank. That hurts the ole nads too. Finally some guy showed me how to beat in the area where the nads hit. Most riders did that back then. But yours is the winner. I goota go take a shower, Man i got tears coming down the eyes. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL


----------



## yooper

treeclimber101 said:


> Oh suck it up .



Hell no, but if you do first maybe I will think about it:greenchainsaw:


----------



## treeclimber101

garyischofield said:


> Did he have to use a magnifying glass?Just asking.



Nope since my sack was stretched to the point that if I didn't wear tight underwear they would bounce off my thighs for about two months , again you asked


----------



## stihl sawing

treeclimber101 said:


> Nope since my sack was stretched to the point that if I didn't wear tight underwear they would bounce off my thighs for about two months , again you asked


You gotta quit, You're killin me.LOLOLOL


----------



## treeclimber101

stihl sawing said:


> You gotta quit, You're killin me.LOLOLOL



Oh like I'm the only one who had saggy sack syndrome at one point in there life


----------



## yooper

treeclimber101 said:


> Oh like I'm the only one who had saggy sack syndrome at one point in there life



I have never had saggy sack...but when I was about 15 I beat my tally whacker so senseless that it swelled up and kind resembles a soft ball. Hell that is the scardest I ever was in my life I though it was going to stay that way for ever. few hrs the swelling went down and things went back to normal. then I got my first pair of glasses


----------



## treeclimber101

yooper said:


> I have never had saggy sack...but when I was about 15 I beat my tally whacker so senseless that it swelled up and kind resembles a soft ball. Hell that is the scardest I ever was in my life I though it was going to stay that way for ever. few hrs the swelling went down and things went back to normal. then I got my first pair of glasses



What did ya beat it with a closed fist or a rolling pin or something , So you had SWOLLEN SWORD SYNDROME crazy the things that we walk away from huh


----------



## garyischofield

I'm feeling like a wimp.What's a near fatal back injury compared to get your sack run through a meat grinder.


----------



## yooper

treeclimber101 said:


> What did ya beat it with a closed fist or a rolling pin or something , So you had SWOLLEN SWORD SYNDROME crazy the things that we walk away from huh



yep did it all single handed .....lol S.S.S.


----------



## stihl sawing

garyischofield said:


> I'm feeling like a wimp.What's a near fatal back injury compared to get your sack run through a meat grinder.


Got a back injury now, No fun at all. Coulda been fatal too i guess. Fell 12 feet on a standing pipe in the ground.


----------



## stevohut

yooper said:


> I have never had saggy sack...but when I was about 15 I beat my tally whacker so senseless that it swelled up and kind resembles a soft ball. Hell that is the scardest I ever was in my life I though it was going to stay that way for ever. few hrs the swelling went down and things went back to normal. then I got my first pair of glasses



Stop it already you guys I'm gonna piss myself, I'm laughing so hard.


----------



## stihl sawing

treeclimber101 said:


> Oh like I'm the only one who had saggy sack syndrome at one point in there life


No, But you might have the holiest sack around.


----------



## yooper

stihl sawing said:


> No, But you might have the holiest sack around.



:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## wvlogger

come on boys here lol:spam:



but that is funny sorry had to say it


----------



## ropensaddle

yooper said:


> I have never had saggy sack...but when I was about 15 I beat my tally whacker so senseless that it swelled up and kind resembles a soft ball. Hell that is the scardest I ever was in my life I though it was going to stay that way for ever. few hrs the swelling went down and things went back to normal. then I got my first pair of glasses


Once at 9 started washing it in the tub and it went off scared me too lol.


----------



## oscar4883

Tree related, nothing major. Took a 16oz. bag to the shin due to laziness. Bag got stuck and it broke free when pulling and came at me like a bullet from 60ft. Hit me squarely on the shin. Schwoooooooooop, Smack! Changing clutch springs on a saw last week I fiqured it would be a good idea to stuff an awl under my thumb nail. That sucked. 

Fell 15 ft. once. Landed on an alum. ladder. Right foot hit first. Walk with a slight limp after standing in one spot or sitting for more than 2 minutes now. 

Lost two front teeth in a work related accident once. Working as a wrecker operator. THe next day I spotted two honeys walkin down the road with a gas can looking like they needed a ride. At that very moment I ran my tongue over the area where my teeth used to be and decided it would be ok if they walked a little further.

Got married in 2006.


----------



## jefflovstrom

*Good for you.*




oscar4883 said:


> Tree related, nothing major. Took a 16oz. bag to the shin due to laziness. Bag got stuck and it broke free when pulling and came at me like a bullet from 60ft. Hit me squarely on the shin. Schwoooooooooop, Smack! Changing clutch springs on a saw last week I fiqured it would be a good idea to stuff an awl under my thumb nail. That sucked.
> 
> Fell 15 ft. once. Landed on an alum. ladder. Right foot hit first. Walk with a slight limp after standing in one spot or sitting for more than 2 minutes now.
> 
> Lost two front teeth in a work related accident once. Working as a wrecker operator. THe next day I spotted two honeys walkin down the road with a gas can looking like they needed a ride. At that very moment I ran my tongue over the area where my teeth used to be and decided it would be ok if they walked a little further.
> 
> 
> 
> Good for you.
> Jeff :help:
> 
> Good for you!
> Jeff


----------



## ropensaddle

Today I tripped on a stick fell and cracked my butt the wife laughed and broke my heart I am hurting now ooooooo


----------



## RVALUE

ropensaddle said:


> Today I tripped on a stick fell and cracked my butt the wife laughed and broke my heart I am hurting now ooooooo



Would that be a 'hole in one' or two?:monkey:


----------



## RVALUE

ropensaddle said:


> Once at 9 started washing it in the tub and it went off scared me too lol.



Do you mean: at 9. and 9:30; and ........?????:monkey:


----------



## little possum

Ever pulled a tree with a rope to short, and didnt realize till it hit you :monkey:
Im just saying...

Now I have a hard hat. And a arm that wouldnt work for a week. Pop cut the tree and I was pulling it down with a rope, and I was supposed to run, well I didnt run far enough or fast enough so the top hit me on the head/back and a limb hit me on the funny bone.
Lesson well learned


----------



## imagineero

mine is pretty minor compare to some here, but still hurt like hell at the time. Was up in the tree with a freshly sharpened chain on a 192t. Through some weird combination of things after lopping a few branches i swapped the saw into my left hand and was moving my right up to a branch when my footing failed. I shot my right hand out like a rocket to get a hold and ran my hand right up the underside of that bar, catching 3 or 4 real sharp cutters that opened me up nicely. Could have been worse. I wear gloves now.

Shaun


----------



## jefflovstrom

imagineero said:


> mine is pretty minor compare to some here, but still hurt like hell at the time. Was up in the tree with a freshly sharpened chain on a 192t. Through some weird combination of things after lopping a few branches i swapped the saw into my left hand and was moving my right up to a branch when my footing failed. I shot my right hand out like a rocket to get a hold and ran my hand right up the underside of that bar, catching 3 or 4 real sharp cutters that opened me up nicely. Could have been worse. I wear gloves now.
> 
> Shaun



Ouch!! Your damn lucky! 
Jeff


----------



## imagineero

jefflovstrom said:


> Ouch!! Your damn lucky!
> Jeff



Yeah, that pretty much sucked. I didnt feel too lucky at the time though! Chain brake was on and everything.... and i didnt even push against the cutters hard, was just a very light grazing but they opened me up easy.

Ive had quite a few close calls like im sure everyone has. One that came close was pruning again... Up the tree with one foot on the ladder and the other wrapped round the tree for stability so i can use both hands on the saw. The ladder let go (the ladders dont sit on the ground, they are attached to the tree) and i went with it at the exact moment the saw went through the branch. Saw went straight into the leg wrapped round the tree and a ate a good mouthfull of chaps. If it wasnt for the chaps i wouldnt be here writing this! Guys on the crew used to give me crap about wearing chaps all the time, but it only takes one time to save your life ;-)

But the odds are stacked against you if you're pruning 150~200 trees a day, 5 or 6 days a week. at $1.20 a tree you dont get rich quick either :-( Glad im not in forestry any more!

Shaun


----------



## treeclimber101

I did once get hit with a broken stump grinder tooth in the shin , that left a mark for a while ....


----------



## voxac30dude

whacked my arm with my hand saw really hard and punctured a vein. i was 80 feet up in a coco palm. i kept working of course. not thinking it was really that bad until i went to the hospital and they had to clean out the wound give me a tetanus shot and glue the wound shut with liquid stitches.


----------



## RAMROD48

Well my worst happened tonight....thought the branch last week was bad....

Was taking down a 16" sugar maple....had already dropped 3 black birches and was being lazy and instead of dragging them out of way I just continued taking more down...Made the face cut and was in the process of making the back cut...well it split and laid over it self about 10' up....now I am on a side hill and instead of going to the high side I touched the spinning chain to the split section from the low side...well it barely touched and i didn't have time to get out....so I tried to go back....remember those black birches?...I tripped and my feet went straight back and down the log....my right shoulder smashed into the birch....left shoulder slammed and skinned by the sugar maple....face did a little jig against the birch stump...helmet went flying...at some point the back of my left hand, ran across the chain...(not spinning)

My right shoulder is sore....

Over all it could have been much worse...

I was using a MS250 that I did a muffler mod on yestarday...it was in mint condition...and was running AWESOME...now the choke wire is broken, the switch wont stay in place, and the knob on the top of the air filter cover is broke....


----------



## gwiley

RAMROD48 said:


> Well my worst happened tonight....thought the branch last week was bad....
> 
> Was taking down a 16" sugar maple....had already dropped 3 black birches and was being lazy and instead of dragging them out of way I just continued taking more down...Made the face cut and was in the process of making the back cut...well it split and laid over it self about 10' up....now I am on a side hill and instead of going to the high side I touched the spinning chain to the split section from the low side...well it barely touched and i didn't have time to get out....so I tried to go back....remember those black birches?...I tripped and my feet went straight back and down the log....my right shoulder smashed into the birch....left shoulder slammed and skinned by the sugar maple....face did a little jig against the birch stump...helmet went flying...at some point the back of my left hand, ran across the chain...(not spinning)
> 
> My right shoulder is sore....
> 
> Over all it could have been much worse...
> 
> I was using a MS250 that I did a muffler mod on yestarday...it was in mint condition...and was running AWESOME...now the choke wire is broken, the switch wont stay in place, and the knob on the top of the air filter cover is broke....



Dude, glad you are still able to sit and type, thanks for reminding the rest of us to not cut corners.


----------



## RVALUE

pdqdl said:


> No, I don't. In fact, I'm not even sure what you are referring to. Sorry.
> 
> Despite all my injuries, I have outstanding health, and I heal very quickly! _(too much practice?)_. I never have skin irritations, and I am not allergic to ANYTHING, including wasps, bees, poison ivy, or even sycamore tree sawdust. I largely heal without scars, too.
> 
> I never get sick either, except for a never ending stream of tonsillitis (not less than twice per year) until I was 30-35 years old. Maybe all that strep throat boosted my immune system?
> 
> We were all blessed with some special attributes. I think it is important to appreciate the good ones, improve our weak points, and calmly accept what we cannot change.




What are the symptoms of this ailment?


----------



## promac850

Good grief, most of this makes anything I've dealt with so far seem quite mild.

Injuries:

Trying to (stupidly) flatten out one of those neat little curls that a drill press makes in steel. Sliced the tip of my left index finger almost to the bone. Very faint scar still exists.

Damn near cut the top of my thumb off with a utility knife. Clinic doc said "You're lucky." I said "How so, doc?" He said "A little bit in, would've hit the bone, a little more out, would've taken the entire tip of your thumb off." The blade was fresh and brand new... made so clean of a cut, right through the nail and all, I didn't even feel it. It healed partially by the time we got to the clinic. It was that clean.

Moving truck lift, dropped onto my right ankle, cutting from a little above the middle of the calf, making a nice 12" gash clear all the way down to the anklebone. 

Chipped the anklebone, and blood filled my then sized 9? (I was 8 back then, don't remember what shoe size I was) Cried for about 30 seconds. Mainly from shock of all of the blood and seeing my anklebone, it didn't really hurt that bad. Still have a bit of numbness at the last two inches of the cut, ending at the anklebone. Scar's there. Uppermost part has faded a little, but all of it still shows what I went through.

Wheel weight hammer, outside corner of left thumb, small wheel weight. HURTS LIKE A #####!!!!!! I almost passed out from that one.  Hurt for a week, blood spot under the nail.

Surgery:

Cochlear implant installation... Doc told me it's gonna feel like someone hit me in the head with a hammer when I wake up... if you're thinking 16 oz. household claw hammer, forget it. Felt much more like a 10 lb sledge. I missed taking the pill by about an hour... immense pain. I'd wake up from a nap and I'd be in a bit of pain from sleeping over the time of needing to take that pill. It was pretty bad even with the massive Vicodin? they gave me, and without it, trust me, it hurts like hell. I was 16 at the time, Junior year in HS. First couple of months was hell on my head and brain. I have no intention of having my left 'deaf' ear done... I happy with the one I have in my right ear. (I was born deaf, not able to hear anything until the db's were over 95)

Close calls:

Jumping the Enticer 250. I was 12, and decided that it'd be fun to jump that suspension lacking sled off of the mound of snow my neighbor made at the end of his driveway, in the yard. I went at the jump, hit about 30? mph (no speedo on this thing) went flying through the air. Felt like it took forever. I was looking around when I was up there and it seemed everything was in slow motion. Landed with a massive thud. Thank God I was smart enough to wear the brain bucket... the chin bar landed hard on the handlebar. No helmet would've resulted in a broken jaw. I jumped that thing 12 feet. Got lots of air though, figure I was about 5-6 feet off the ground. 

I'll try to think of some more things I went through...

My uncle was cutting a rubber hose with the table saw. Blade caught the hose, snapped his index finger into the cut, and cut all of three inches straight down the middle of the finger. They used pins to hold the split together. Took a long time for that one to heal.

My pops used to work on a celery farm, and one tool they had there for processing celery (forget what it's called, will ask him) he was doing something and his index finger happened to meet the blade? pinch point? or something like that and got partially crushed. Still works good, looks a little funny though.

Also, he used to work at a foundry. Some molds? something like that crushed and broke all of his fingers in one or both? hands?. Took a bunch of guys to get that thing off of his hand. I don't recall the details perfectly about how or what finger/hands got broke, but he ended up working in the office, which led to him becoming an accountant.


----------



## stihl sawing

You know your still young if you can remember every little scratch and cut ya got.:msp_biggrin:


----------



## ropensaddle

stihl sawing said:


> You know your still young if you can remember every little scratch and cut ya got.:msp_biggrin:


 
I've had bigger scratches than that on the ---- -- -- ----


----------



## RandyMac

I remember specific events, the chronology gets a little fuzzy with overlapping injuries.


----------



## 056 kid

few knockouts few separated shoulders, im lucky so far!


----------



## RVALUE

ropensaddle said:


> I've had bigger scratchers than that on the ---- -- -- ----


 
Oh my......:msp_scared:


----------



## pdqdl

RVALUE said:


> What are the symptoms of this ailment?
> 
> (http://www.arboristsite.com/arboricultural-injuries-fatalities/123695-6.htm#post2925195)


 
A lot of guys can't stand to work on sycamore trees. It irritates their eyes & lungs, they itch all over. The sawdust seems to act like fiberglass insulation: while it isn't exactly an allergy, it sure does irritate a lot of folks when they work in it. Some other opinions on the topic:

http://www.arboristsite.com/commercial-tree-care-climbing/33203.htm#post430638
http://www.arboristsite.com/commercial-tree-care-climbing/28876.htm#post376115
http://www.arboristsite.com/commercial-tree-care-climbing/33203.htm#post430822
http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/162184.htm#post2724512


----------



## daddyoneleg

*Sawmills are Alligators*

Stepped into a waste conv. return and it sniped my boot,pulled me in and took my leg,clothes,and boot and ripped it all off.I am now a above knee Amp. I have a wonderfull family and still work in the machine shop as a Welder/Fabricator/and machinist helper.I love my Job. -God bless


----------



## pdqdl

Damn tough break.

I'm familiar with the feeling, though. I gave the tip of my thumb to a shop planer, and it yanked my whole hand into the machine. I'm several digits short now.

I really don't like bumping my small finger-stumps, and I would really hate to be obliged to walk around on a leg sized stump all day long. It hurt like hell in the beginning, I'll bet?

Does your stump ever get used to being walked on, or is it a constant discomfort?


----------



## RVALUE

Don't think that a stumpy leg is going to upseat PDQDL as the most injured here.


----------



## daddyoneleg

pdqdl said:


> Damn tough break.
> 
> I'm familiar with the feeling, though. I gave the tip of my thumb to a shop planer, and it yanked my whole hand into the machine. I'm several digits short now.
> 
> I really don't like bumping my small finger-stumps, and I would really hate to be obliged to walk around on a leg sized stump all day long. It hurt like hell in the beginning, I'll bet?
> 
> Does your stump ever get used to being walked on, or is it a constant discomfort?


 
It does get tuffened up to a point.Weight changes,water consumption,beer ect all make your stump larger and not fit in the socket. As humans we adapt.... -Cheers


----------



## TheOldBiker

Got my thumb caught in a bench grinder, ground off half the nail and all the flesh to the bone right up to the first joint. Drove myself to the hospital, arm out the window to keep it elevated. Nothing much they could do, no place to put a stitch, they cleaned it (oh, that was fun) wrapped it and I went back to work. It took twenty years or so but it looks normal again. Riding my dirt bike, caught left foot between a buried rock and the foot peg, glad I was wearing mx boots, still have a foot but the great toe will never be the same. It ended up much wider than it used to be, not what you'd call pretty. I had to wear oversized work boots for years after that. 
Best near miss?
I was falling an old birch tree when I felt a heavy thump on my back. Straightened up to see what hit me, it was a 3" dia. limb about four feet long. Rotten but still heavy. Could have brained me. I figured that was a friendly reminder from God, so went to the truck and got my hard hat on before continuing.


----------



## RVALUE

I was visiting with the coroner a couple days ago. He goes out of his way to check on me. We've had a lot of young (teenagers) and middle aged HEALTHY men die recently.

The men is mostly accidents.

The coroner knows of six of my major blemishes, and figures I have at the most 3 left. 


I don't think the coroner makes anything off a person's demise, so he must have a side bet.


----------



## pdqdl

RVALUE said:


> I was visiting with the coroner a couple days ago. He goes out of his way to check on me.
> 
> [CLIP!]
> 
> I don't think the coroner makes anything off a person's demise, so he must have a side bet.


 
Probably looking forward the the post-mortem exam. Figures he might see how you were getting by with all of the busted up parts you got.


----------



## RVALUE

pdqdl said:


> Probably looking forward the the post-mortem exam. Figures he might see how you were getting by with all of the busted up parts you got.


 
I am wondering the same thing...


----------



## tree md

Man I have been beaten up the past two weeks. One forearm still looks like hamburger where I took a ride that jerked me out of my spikes when I got overzealous with a pine top that I should have took in smaller bites. Then I got popped right in the mouth today when a dead stick came out of a tree I was pole sawing a limb out of... At first I thought it knocked my front tooth out... Bled like a stuck hog. 

Certainly not my worst injuries but they suck just the same...


----------



## akitasan

*Major injury*

Lost right thumb/index,middle and ring finger to a table saw kickback.
Doc was able to re-attach thumb and ring finger.. Not really usable other than to hit the keys on a keyboard.

Dislocation of left shoulder, and left hip to motorcycle accident - doesn't really compare to losing the fingers


----------



## TreeSurfer

not much of an injury but i was pruning a coconut palm and reached up to cut out some paper. when the saw had finished cutting through the paper i lost my grip on my saw and gravity took over. dropped my sugoi on my left hand. 5-6 nice tooth punctures. bled like a stuck pig.


----------



## Zale

Fractured pelvis.


----------



## pdqdl

akitasan said:


> Lost right thumb/index,middle and ring finger to a table saw kickback.
> Doc was able to re-attach thumb and ring finger.. Not really usable other than to hit the keys on a keyboard.
> 
> Dislocation of left shoulder, and left hip to motorcycle accident - doesn't really compare to losing the fingers



Yep. That would suck.

I only lost thumb & index, and I really don't mind that nearly as much as most of my other injuries. Apart from difficulties sometimes picking up dimes, my R hand doesn't bother me. It *really* gets my attention when I bump my stubs. 

I guess being a carpenter with only 1 good finger would be tough. Were you right handed? 

I was, and I still do everything right handed.


----------



## Grace Tree

Broke my nose when a log cart handle slammed me. I set it at the job and it's pretty straight but I have trouble breathing through one side. About 5 years ago I was removing a couple of dead, dry and rotten sugar maples on a hot still day and I breathed in a lot of mold spores. I got symptoms like histoplasmosis and I was sick for a couple months. Never really regained my full breathing capacity and I thought it contributed to my heart attack later that summer. 
Phil


----------



## tree md

pdqdl said:


> Yep. That would suck.
> 
> I only lost thumb & index, and I really don't mind that nearly as much as most of my other injuries. Apart from difficulties sometimes picking up dimes, my R hand doesn't bother me. It *really* gets my attention when I bump my stubs.
> 
> I guess being a carpenter with only 1 good finger would be tough. Were you right handed?
> 
> I was, and I still do everything right handed.



If I remember correctly, you said you lost your fingers in an accident with your shop door?

I nearly lost a finger while trying to fix my shop door a couple of weeks back. I was trying to put the wheel back in the track and my dumb ass groundy tried to forcefully slam it in there while I had my finger in the track. He stopped just short of slamming it in there which would have certainly severed my finger. As it were, I just got away with a nasty cut... That has contributed to my recent decision to not let anymore of my help help me to "fix" anything.


----------



## little possum

View attachment 233907
Caution, graphic content!!


3120 muffler to the inside forearm takes the cake for a little while anyway. Could have been much much worse.


----------



## Johny Utah

little possum said:


> View attachment 233907
> Caution, graphic content!!
> 
> 
> 3120 muffler to the inside forearm takes the cake for a little while anyway. Could have been much much worse.



That looked painful dude. Not to mention the stench of burning flesh.:msp_smile:


----------



## little possum

Hmmm Bacon.. :taped: Hurts a good bit, but thankful it is only what it is


----------



## pdqdl

tree md said:


> If I remember correctly, you said you lost your fingers in an accident with your shop door?
> ...



Nope. Stupidity on my part.

Wood planer; caught the tip of my thumb, and didn't quit until it had more of me than it could chew.


----------



## pdqdl

little possum said:


> View attachment 233907
> Caution, graphic content!!
> 
> 
> 3120 muffler to the inside forearm takes the cake for a little while anyway. Could have been much much worse.



I have seen many burns just like that on my grounds maintenance crews over the years. They get to swinging a string trimmer/brush cutter real aggressively, then their arms get tired. Before you know it, they start wrapping their forearms around the top of the engine to control the swing. 

Wrap too low, and YEE-HA!, they burn their forearms on the exposed muffler. BIG muffler prints on the tender skin of their forearms.

Every one of them reported that it really hurt a lot, so you have my sympathy.


----------



## little possum

Thanks, and you have mine. I cant imagine sticking a finger into the planer. I work at a custom millwork shop right now. And everyday seems like a timebomb until a digit is missing.


----------



## pdqdl

Well...just keep imagining it, and you will probably get to keep all of your fingers.


----------



## little possum

For sure. Boss tells me I am too slow, but he doesnt provide insurance. So I will either be slow, or I will just go home. Keeping my digits and limbs is pretty important. 

Be careful out there guys


----------



## tree md

little possum said:


> For sure. Boss tells me I am too slow, but he doesnt provide insurance. So I will either be slow, or I will just go home. Keeping my digits and limbs is pretty important.
> 
> Be careful out there guys



Back when I used to work for other services every now and then I would have an owner tell me that I wasn't climbing fast enough (usually an owner who didn't climb). I would always reply that I have two speeds and if they didn't like the current speed they surely wouldn't like the other.


----------



## pdqdl

I had a climber killed in a tree; all due to an incredibly stupid mistake.

We told him that very morning that he had already impressed us, that he did not need to hurry.


----------



## fir

When I raced mx I had 6 serious concusions but one was really bad. I slit a 700 $ helmet and pissed my self. I couldn't walk for six hours or so and had to be reatraned at my job.


----------



## Johny Utah

fir said:


> When I raced mx I had 6 serious concusions but one was really bad. I slit a 700 $ helmet and pissed my self. I couldn't walk for six hours or so and had to be reatraned at my job.



What made the 6th one so special and not the first one before you came to your senses and stopped while you were ahead.:hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## Samlock

My worst injury, measured by the length of time off work, is hardly worth bragging about. I had a drunkard's arm long time ago. Yes, passed out on my shoulder, totally wasted, woke up with a right arm paralysed below elbow... No cracks about a limp wrist, ok?

Back then I was working as a carpenter. Now I can laugh at it, but describing how it happened to doctor, having a hangover and stinking like a still factory, was not my brightest moment. Insurance didn't cover the alcohol related accidents or injuries.

It took two months before I could operate my fingers again and get back to work. Got sacked, of course. That compound was a ####hole, anyway.


----------



## pdqdl

Two months! :msp_w00t: That sounds like some serious nerve damage.

Does it work good now?


----------



## pdqdl

BTW: Don't you just HATE having to learn how to do everything left handed?


----------



## Samlock

Going lefty wasn't difficult to me. My both hands are just about equal. All men of my family are like that (have two left hands, as my grandma put it). I remember that driving a manual gear box car was challenging for a while.

My buddies said I had slept on my shoulder at least six hours before I got up. I guess the nerve pinched pretty good. The doc predicted first that the paralysis may be permanent. There was a numb patch on the back of my hand and wrist for a year or something after the incident. However it fully recovered by time. Haven't noticed anything special ever since.


----------



## flushcut

Took a silky to the shin bone. It really did not cut me but just kind of stuck there until I could pull it out.


----------



## BigWill1985

I have had a lot of insignificant injuries (burns, bumps, bruises, cuts, etc...). I actually was climbing on Friday and hurt myself a little. Went to toss my flipline around a North American Pine and it flopped over a limb on the back side I didn't see. Rolled over my hand (which was ready to catch it) and the hook knocked me right below my left eye. Split the skin open, and bled pretty good for a few mins. Just held pressure on it, waited for it to stop bleeding, and continued. 

The worst injury I've had to date happened a few years ago. I have a boat (1992 21' cuddy cabin Inboard/outboard pleasure boat with a Chevy 350) that we run in the Chesapeake Bay. Was having issues with the boat overheating (turned out to be a cirmped hose in the lower unit which fed seawater to the fresh water heat exchanger). The boat overheated, and was blowing steam/water from the heat exchanger cap. I had 4-5 friends in the boat, and we were ~3-4 miles from the boat launch up a small river inlet. We pulled over, and shut the boat down. Pulled the dog house, and started the waiting game for the motor to cool down. After 25-30 mins, I felt the heat exchanger hoses and they had no pressure on them at all. So, I pressed down on the radiator cap and it blew apart. I shoved all passengers into the cabin and attempted to throw a towel over the geyser. It wound up burning the entire right side of my face (2nd degree burns), including my right cornea and inner ear. I still ensured everyone else was safe (no other injuries), and contacted a local boat towing company and got towed back to dock. So, I ended what should have been a fun day with 2nd degree burns covering the entire right side of my face, and a $750 tow bill. About 5 mins from reaching the desitnation my face started to blister up pretty bad, so we called 911 and the ambulance met us at the dock. Got a ride to the ER, and plenty of pain meds. Wasn't much that could be done until the burn started to heal. Had eye drops for my cornea, and an order to keep peeling away the damaged flesh so new skin could grow in it's place. Got ~3 weeks off of work (to prevent any grease/oil/dirt/dust from entering the wound) and a ton of narcotics to survive the pain. If anyone's interested, I can provide some pretty rough pictures of the healing process when I get off working at my first job. 

End result was a full recovery with no scars. You honestly would never know I had any injury at all. But, you'd better believe I have a lot more respect for overheated engines and will keep them damned things covered up until they are cooled back down to ambient temperature no matter what the circumstances are. Steam burns aren't fun!

EDIT: Here are the pics. These were taken 3-4 days afterwards, as the real damage started to show. Up until that point, my skin just looked pasty white from the dead layers of skin. By this point it was peeling off revealing the depth of the burn. 












~Will Courtier~


----------



## pdqdl

I caught a whole face full of radiator once, but I never scalded my eyes. I'll bet that sucked.

I had neat little un-burned wrinkles in the skin around my eyes; apparently, I had them clinched very tight when it got me. I also had blisters everywhere else on my face, including the tops of both ears and up my nose.

I can empathize!


----------



## NHlocal

*Ouch.....*

Back about 11 or 12 years ago I was out snowboarding on a Saturday. We had just received 16 inches of fresh powder the night before. It was a "bluebird" day, skiers and snowboarders know what that means. :msp_w00t: Last run of the day I was cruisin' down one of the trails that cut across the side of the mountain. The trail was groomed so the downhill side has a nice little "curb" that was begging to be slashed. As I was flying through the air I realized that the "curb" was nothing but fluff and I had gone through as though nothing was there at all. As I said this was on the downhill side of the trail. My 15ft free fall ended with me landing on a tree stump taking the entire impact on the left side of my ribs. I never lost consciousness, I remember it all. The sound I heard was like some one jumping on a heavy 
duty wicker basket, turns my stomach just to think about it. I had the wind knocked out of me just short of passing out. I managed to climb up the bank onto the trail and even walk about 100 yards down the trail. I was feeling really tired and by this time the pain in my chest had become almost unbearable. I sat down on the side of the trail, and couldn't get back up. I also started to get a tickle in my throat, made me cough. You guessed it, coughed up blood. :msp_scared: Right then a ski patrol came over and asked it I was alright? I said no, do you need help?, he said, I said ayuh. They put me in the sled, took me down the mountain, and loaded me into the ambulance. After checking me over the EMT says, "I'm really sorry but I have to intubate(?) your lung, it's collapsing, this is gonna hurt, a lot". So he makes a 1 1/2 inch cut on the side of my chest and inserts a tube into my left lung. They must have been giving me morphine because the pain was starting to fade and so was I. So to make a really long story just a little bit longer and to get to my worst injury ever, I ended up with 6 broken ribs, punctured/collapsed lung, and they didn't even know until after they got me into the emergency room that my spleen was in a bunch of little pieces. I now have a "zipper" that starts 3 inches below my belly button and stops right at the tip of my sternum. Spent 9 days in the hospital and only missed three weeks of work. The surgeon told me "it could have been a whole lot worse", I'm still here livin' and breathin' so I agree with the Doc. :hmm3grin2orange: You just never know.....
Work safe. ::thumbsup::


----------



## genestar

pdqdl said:


> Absolutely.
> 
> Very few people are as good as me at wrecking motorcycles. It takes a very special talent to wreck the bike & yourself, and still keep going like the energizer bunny.
> 
> Ok. The energizer bunny doesn't limp. But other than that, I'm doing pretty good.
> 
> Who else do you know that can burn all the skin off their face two times and not have any scars? That take a very special talent!



I think I have you beat on motorcycles...will have to type it out on a real comp. Phone keys:msp_sad: r tiny....stand by..


----------



## genestar

In 98..broke my toe riding with danner hunting boots..bought riding boots two days later..toenail fell off months later.
99 crashed into a mesquite tree and hematoma to the ARM down to the bone...lucky I didn't get impaled ..I've seen that happen to a kid. He took a limb into the chest.
2001 ...kid made a worm trail in the sand about 2 feet deep where there had been smooth sand for the past 1000 years. Hit it sitting down at around 20 mph..bike followed me over..tucked my head in just before impact or would have broke my neck. Got up ..picked the bike up, put the kickstand down, took off my helmet,then my pack. Laid down in the sand and woke up looking at the stars in serious pain. I went down in 2" of water and the temp was in the upper 50s..got my gear together, got on my bike and rode back to my truck about a mile away.
Spent the night, when my pals show up the next morning I had them call my parents..had my parents call for the EMT. Got a chopper ride to the E.R. with a broken back.
I can't remember the numbers for the 3 I broke. They are between the shoulder blades. One was smashed into tiny bits and 2 with hairline cracks.
09 broke my tibia and tore my ACL.
Last weekend I looped out and busted my butt in a big way.


----------



## genestar

That's the super short story...all in all I've been out of work for about 2 years total since 92 from this type of stuff and that doesnt include burns cuts and other random stupidity.
I have missed less than a week from work related stuff since 93....and no saw accidents..knock on wood..
Just be safe everyone...for your families and your selves.


----------



## Job Corps Tree

*wh was your worst injury*

Husky 35 cut into left indext Fingur saw bone (No One Handed Cuts)


----------



## pdqdl

genestar said:


> I think I have you beat on motorcycles...will have to type it out on a real comp. Phone keys:msp_sad: r tiny....stand by..



That's ok. Let's just agree that we have _both_ been pretty careless on the motorcycle. I'm paying quite a toll right now in arthritis.

Yourself?


----------



## genestar

pdqdl said:


> That's ok. Let's just agree that we have _both_ been pretty careless on the motorcycle. I'm paying quite a toll right now in arthritis.
> 
> Yourself?



Well I still have 3 CR500s and a CRFX450.. I'm planning to go out this weekend.
Wish I could post pics. The one of my butt from 9 days ago has people rolling on the floor...it did hurt like a SOB.
The back healed %100.. my knee is about %90...my biggest problem is carpal tunnel snd. from 15 years of crimping wires on wire harnesses.


----------



## RVALUE

My vote is still that pdqdl is the winner!


----------



## RVALUE

As per most injuries on AS. Not arthritis.


Carry on.


----------



## pdqdl

I'm not sure that I qualify. There were quite a few fellows that have really been hurt very badly. I probably only win the award for "most injuries done stupidly"


----------



## Joe Homeowner

*Hubris*

You dildos are actually BRAGGING about your Darwinian moves ??? 
Never have any near where we work, play, mission..... never. You do those kind of ditz moves, de-brief so it doesn't happen again, or, or, more important, affect your unit or crew.

Damn, these stories are tough to take. But bragging about screw-ups !! I'm ready for a long drink. :baffle:


----------



## pdqdl

I haven't seen anyone brag in this entire thread. Apparently you have never been seriously injured, otherwise you would understand the motivation to participate in the thread. I guess it is kind of like joining a club...you might not understand the motivation to join until after you are in the club.


----------



## Ghillie

It was threads like this that kept me from being seriously injured 3 years ago. Read that as "career ending injury". 

No one is forcing you to read it. If it doesn't benefit you or you don't understand it, you are free to move on. 

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


----------



## treemandan

RVALUE said:


> My vote is still that pdqdl is the winner!



Hands down! Viva le PDQDL


----------



## treemandan

Joe Homeowner said:


> You dildos are actually BRAGGING about your Darwinian moves ???
> Never have any near where we work, play, mission..... never. You do those kind of ditz moves, de-brief so it doesn't happen again, or, or, more important, affect your unit or crew.
> 
> Damn, these stories are tough to take. But bragging about screw-ups !! I'm ready for a long drink. :baffle:



And yer little dog too!


----------



## Joe Homeowner

treemandan said:


> And yer little dog too!



No dog. Won't get another--burying 3 is too much over the years. I'm sensitive.

And: No use of bad words to make the sensitive here upset ( got sent to banned camp for the use of "dildo" ...so sorry. ) 

Let's try "Darwin Award" for avoidable hits ? :confuse:


----------



## RVALUE

Joe Homeowner said:


> No dog. Won't get another--burying 3 is too much over the years. I'm sensitive.
> 
> And: No use of bad words to make the sensitive here upset ( got sent to banned camp for the use of "dildo" ...so sorry. )
> 
> Let's try "Darwin Award" for avoidable hits ? :confuse:



There is a difference in using the word, and using the device.

Just saying.


----------



## pdqdl

Joe: I am pleased that you are talking nice now. So...What is _your_ worst injury.

And how could you have prevented it?


----------



## Ethan51

*Just my little stupid mistakes*

I am 16 :help: and i have been felling, trimming, and running a chainsaw for about 2 years and have only had one incident with them. A few months ago I was taking a limb down that was about 15 feet away from the trunk of the Oak i was in, and after undercutting the limb making sure my groundie was away (my dad) i started the top cut. After finishing the cut, the whole limb bucked a little more than planned and forced me to use my left hand to steady myself, but that also put my hand on the chopping block. Right under my saw. That was running, and on its way down. So after 4 stitches in each of my 4 fingers on my left hand and a little plastic surgery, they all look right as rain! 

One of my other stupid mistake was drilling holes in studs of my brother's new house with a half inch drill for electrical wire. We had done almost the whole house, but in his master bedroom there was a stud that was a little bit of a tight fit for my drill, so i took out one of the nails going into the header and one into the footer so i could move the stud so i could finish the hole. I then grabbed right behind where i was about to put the hole, proceeded to put the drill bit though the stud and right into my left middle finger, straight into the bone, severing nerves and COVERING that wall with blood. Still working on getting feeling into that finger.

Last one. I was doing a roof for the parents of a friend of mine with my older brother and was using my brand new rigid coil roofing nailer and shot a roofing nail right through the meat of my right hand. Bled like hell, but got my pliers, pulled it out, grabbed my handkerchief, wrapped it up and finished the roof. 

Those are just my big ones, countless run ins with non moving chainsaw chains, hammers, doors, and things like that are just day to day occurrences. 

NEXT!


----------



## pdqdl

It sounds like you are an ambitious and hard working young man. I commend your industrious nature.


Now: some advice. It sounds like you have an "I can do it" approach to problems. If you don't learn to add "...safely" to that line, you will be taking over the thread as most injured for RValue and myself. Trust me, I am not adding any criticism; I've been there and done that (or worse).


I'm guessing that you never had any sort of tutor for your tree climbing? I can see the whole incident happening in my mind, and it all boils down to tie-in-twice-stupid [TITS] and eliminating one-handed cuts. By the time to you tie yourself in securely and you make sure that you are balanced for two hands on the saw, you have eliminated the off-balance-securing-my-position-with-my-free-hand problem. '

But you know that now, don't you?


----------



## pdqdl

Ethan51 said:


> I am 16 :help: and i have been felling, trimming, and running a chainsaw for about 2 years ...



I see that you are in KC. If you are ever looking for work, you might give me a call. No guarantees, but I can see that you can already type and spell better than most of my guys, and I don't doubt that you work as hard, too.


----------



## Ethan51

That I do. And once things calm down with fall cleanups and such I absolutely will. PM is about to be sent


----------



## treemandan

pdqdl said:


> Joe: I am pleased that you are talking nice now. So...What is _your_ worst injury.
> 
> And how could you have prevented it?



I don't think they like that guy. I don't like him either.


----------



## pdqdl

Why dislike the guy? It's not like there is a shortage of folks with strong opinions hanging out at AS. 

He speaks his mind, and doesn't seem to add excess insult to the dialogue. I think that is pretty OK, given that his opinion is quite a bit different than my own.


----------



## treemanbrisbane

*the worst of them...*

The worst injury is getting worn out. Gotta watch that one. It's happened to me and can knock you for years. I copped the sidelines for three years from it, just getting back on the horse.

A few scratches here and there from chainsaws bumping me as well, and one fall. That time my spikes slipped out from a Cocos Palm I'd just cleaned when I was only 8 feet off the ground, but my coccyx landed on a retaining wall. That was 3 months holiday and so much pain. Now I only remember the holiday and to sharpen my spikes


----------



## expertech

Only hurt twice in 30 years. Dislocated a shoulder and got a nasty 180 stitch saw cut while 70 feet up without a climbing line. Used it to pull the top out and was chunking out the trunk on the way down. Learned some lessons that day!


----------



## dooby

*Blessed, lucky or both*

I have never really been seriously injured. a busted ankle and 11 stitches is all. Knock on wood. S.T.O.P.[stop,think,observe,and plan] can and will remove a lot of peoples problems. When i dont know I ask. I am a timber feller with over 20 yrs. exp. and am far from knowing it all. when i was younger i had an "S" on my chest. now that i am 40 something saftey comes to the forefront alot more often. i always wanted to learn Arbo type tree work,i am only a climber,topper, rigger out west . Someday maybe! SAFTEY TO ALL WHO PRACTICE S.T.O.P. !!!!!!:chainsawguy:


----------



## jefflovstrom

Where out west are you?
Jeff
BTW, Welcome to AS.


----------



## dooby

*Were there is Wood*

I am from n.w. Montana. am going to Colorado to cut and set a line machine crew up for another Logger, should be there before months end. I have logged in Washington, Oregon,Idaho,Wyoming and Louisiana and east Texas as well. Are you a logger as well ?


----------



## dooby

Thanks for the welcome :msp_smile:


----------



## jefflovstrom

dooby said:


> I am from n.w. Montana. am going to Colorado to cut and set a line machine crew up for another Logger, should be there before months end. I have logged in Washington, Oregon,Idaho,Wyoming and Louisiana and east Texas as well. Are you a logger as well ?



Nah, I am one of those arbos you mentioned. 
Jeff :msp_smile:


----------



## RVALUE

dooby said:


> Thanks for the welcome :msp_smile:



Remember that one handed feller that ran the saw shop around Coeur d'Alene? Nice fellow.


----------



## RVALUE

BTW, today is the first day I can use my thumb again, to run a mouse. Yee Haw!


----------



## jefflovstrom

RVALUE said:


> BTW, today is the first day I can use my thumb again, to run a mouse. Yee Haw!



What the heck you talking about? Did you hurt your thumb?
Jeff :msp_confused:


----------



## RVALUE

I carved on it a bit a couple months ago. Been letting the tendons heal. Blessed to get it put back on. 


Be careful out there.....





Carry on.


----------



## z50guru

Managed this beauty thanks to a rotted and jagged locust stump. It nearly impaled the back of my calf. Instead it went through my jeans, grabbed traction on my skin and tore this nice  shaped hole. 















Doc did a fine job of closing things up :msp_smile:


----------



## NHlocal

z50guru said:


> Managed this beauty thanks to a rotted and jagged locust stump. It nearly impaled the back of my calf. Instead it went through my jeans, grabbed traction on my skin and tore this nice  shaped hole.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Doc did a fine job of closing things up :msp_smile:



Wow! That looks serious. :msp_scared: What'd the Doc say, full recovery? How long ya' laid up for? 
By the way, how'd you manage to get skewered by a stump? :dunno:


----------



## z50guru

Yep, full recovery. Just a bit tender for a week or so. Fortunately, it was just a flesh wound and the stump never tore into the calf muscle itself. I jumped down an embankment. The bottom was full of leaf litter and hiding a nasty stump. I guess i got lucky. It couldve been my 
arse :msp_scared:


----------



## tollster

Got this one pulling the bar out of a large pine when it started to pinch the chain, my leg was very close to the pine and in an awkward position. I pulled it out and it caught my knee. Naturally I was working alone, so I tied a towel on it pretty tight, drove home, hosed it out, and then drove myself to the ER. I could see the bone and tendons, buts fortunately, missed them all...had new chaps the next day.,,,3/8" full chisel.


----------



## NHlocal

tollster said:


> Got this one pulling the bar out of a large pine when it started to pinch the chain, my leg was very close to the pine and in an awkward position. I pulled it out and it caught my knee. Naturally I was working alone, so I tied a towel on it pretty tight, drove home, hosed it out, and then drove myself to the ER. I could see the bone and tendons, buts fortunately, missed them all...had new chaps the next day.,,,3/8" full chisel.



OUCH!!! That's a rough way to get welcomed to the site. :msp_scared: 
Sounds like you were VERY fortunate. Heal quick and welcome to AS! :msp_thumbup:


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## jefflovstrom

tollster said:


> Got this one pulling the bar out of a large pine when it started to pinch the chain, my leg was very close to the pine and in an awkward position. I pulled it out and it caught my knee. Naturally I was working alone, so I tied a towel on it pretty tight, drove home, hosed it out, and then drove myself to the ER. I could see the bone and tendons, buts fortunately, missed them all...had new chaps the next day.,,,3/8" full chisel.



Ouch,, hindsight is 20/20, right?
I train my guys to use chaps on the ground when cutting. No exceptions,,I am sorry for your accident, but as an op's guy, I have to do a lot of paper work and near the bottom of an accident report you need to check a box that ask's if this accident was preventable.
I always check 'yes'. 
I find that it is usually the the guy with years of experience that get's complacent and those injuries are some time's serious.
One of my best climbers' is on light duty because he hit his leg inside the knee cap with his handsaw. He thought nothing of it. You know,,,, dang, bleeding, oh well, no big deal,,,he kept working.
I was miles away but our regional guy showed up on the job and saw his leg and took him to the hospital. If he had not done that, Carl could of lost his leg.
He thought nothing of it,,no big deal.
It seems he poked a hole in the area of the knee cap between it and the knee. Sensitive.area. It made a squishy sound when he moved it. 
Anyway, never climb alone.
Jeff :msp_wink:


----------



## ropensaddle

jefflovstrom said:


> Ouch,, hindsight is 20/20, right?
> I train my guys to use chaps on the ground when cutting. No exceptions,,I am sorry for your accident, but as an op's guy, I have to do a lot of paper work and near the bottom of an accident report you need to check a box that ask's if this accident was preventable.
> I always check 'yes'.
> I find that it is usually the the guy with years of experience that get's complacent and those injuries are some time's serious.
> One of my best climbers' is on light duty because he hit his leg inside the knee cap with his handsaw. He thought nothing of it. You know,,,, dang, bleeding, oh well, no big deal,,,he kept working.
> I was miles away but our regional guy showed up on the job and saw his leg and took him to the hospital. If he had not done that, Carl could of lost his leg.
> He thought nothing of it,,no big deal.
> It seems he poked a hole in the area of the knee cap between it and the knee. Sensitive.area. It made a squishy sound when he moved it.
> Anyway, never climb alone.
> Jeff :msp_wink:


I don't know if it's complacency or just the fact that experienced are always doing the real deal! And sorry but some accidents can only be prevented by staying home.


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## TreeGuyHR

On the job?

Spiked my right ankle when i was learning on climbing hooks -- pulled out and slid 20 ft. down an alder (hugging the tree just scraped up my arms and didn't slow me down), went through the boot to the bone in my ankle; went back to work after a smoke break.

Tore up my shoulder getting big pine limbs unstuck over a two day period climbing on a Blakes hitch. Still isn't the same (also found out i have arthritis)

Fell down a ladder and dislocated my thumb:

View attachment 273055
View attachment 273056

Plate and screws to fuse three cervical vertebrae after repeated insults (some not work related, like playing rugby for three years as a second row)

Little scar on my left temple after wacking myself there with the knob on the end of a choker i was trying to set under a log (pulled it out for a new spot and it wacked me). Went back to work right away, probably witha concussion 00 everyone sad I looked like a pirate with a scrap of my shirt tied around my head as a bloody bandage:msp_biggrin.

Little scar above my right eye after yanking on my pole saw, sending the tip into my skull a half inch above the brow (I had earlier broken the rounded tip off but kept using it)

Lost the corner and nail of my left thmb, trimming a cool wood sample free hand with my MS200T (probably the DUMBEST thing I have done). 


Not all that huge and gory, but coulda been worse.


----------



## jefflovstrom

TreeGuyHR said:


> On the job?
> 
> Spiked my right ankle when i was learning on climbing hooks -- pulled out and slid 20 ft. down an alder (hugging the tree just scraped up my arms and didn't slow me down), went through the boot to the bone in my ankle; went back to work after a smoke break.
> 
> Tore up my shoulder getting big pine limbs unstuck over a two day period climbing on a Blakes hitch. Still isn't the same (also found out i have arthritis)
> 
> Fell down a ladder and dislocated my thumb:
> 
> View attachment 273055
> View attachment 273056
> 
> Plate and screws to fuse three cervical vertebrae after repeated insults (some not work related, like playing rugby for three years as a second row)
> 
> Little scar on my left temple after wacking myself there with the knob on the end of a choker i was trying to set under a log (pulled it out for a new spot and it wacked me). Went back to work right away, probably witha concussion 00 everyone sad I looked like a pirate with a scrap of my shirt tied around my head as a bloody bandage:msp_biggrin.
> 
> Little scar above my right eye after yanking on my pole saw, sending the tip into my skull a half inch above the brow (I had earlier broken the rounded tip off but kept using it)
> 
> Lost the corner and nail of my left thmb, trimming a cool wood sample free hand with my MS200T (probably the DUMBEST thing I have done).
> 
> 
> Not all that huge and gory, but coulda been worse.




Funny,, insert Benny Hill music here!
Jeff :msp_w00t:


----------



## TreeGuyHR

jefflovstrom said:


> Funny,, insert Benny Hill music here!
> Jeff :msp_w00t:



Agreed!

Too bad there is no video of me falling asleep at the wheel as a 17 year old in the left lane of the freeway, and making my way across three lanes to total a Honda Civic by burrowing into a grassy embankment. Woke up on the operating table as a doc was sewing up my face and shining a light in my eye to see if I was comatose or not. Any other spot for miles would have been way worse (drops, rock ledge, bridge abutments, guardrail to bounce me back under a semi, etc.). 

Anyone see the Simpson's cartoon episode where he falls asleep and drives home dragging a dog and doghouse, clothesline, and stretch of picket fence? Almost like that. If I was a Believer, I would have to conclude that He was right there with me for some reason or other.


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## tollster

NHlocal said:


> OUCH!!! That's a rough way to get welcomed to the site. :msp_scared:
> Sounds like you were VERY fortunate. Heal quick and welcome to AS! :msp_thumbup:



Thanks, I have always been accident prone and grew up as the kid that could...or at the least try... I have more scars than fingers, the places I recall having stiches are:
3 cuts forehead
1 cut eyebrow
1 cut left eye lid
1 cut under left eye
2 cuts under chin
1 cut left wrist
1 cut right wrist
1 cut left shoulder
1 cut right shoulder
a few cuts left knee
Nowadays I typically use superglue as needed because I don't like the ER wait, didn't have enough glue for the knee...but it was more than glue could do. I have had a few concussions and a few broken bones...but most wounds have been cuts and slices.
Scars are cooler than tats and always have better stories!


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## BRAAAP

Had a a jack stand break the other day while servicing one of the trucks.


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## pdqdl

That looks ugly. I'm guessing that ankle got crushed by something heavy rather than bent around too much? Tell us more! I have images of some poor fellow pinioned by a truck axle until they get there with a better jack.

Did they tell you that you damaged the ligaments that bind your ankle together? It doesn't look like it, since they didn't put in a temporary screw ("transmalleolar) to hold the two lower leg bones together. So long as you didn't break into the ankle mortise itself, that will probably heal up real well. 

They didn't let you have the pre-op x-ray? That would look much cooler, we could see all the bones in the wrong places. Please post 'em if you got them.

Best of luck.


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## Overwatch

A jackstand failure has always been a worrisome concern of mine. I never felt safe with those stamped-steel jackstands; whenever I am stuck using those I always back them up with something, usually a stack of tires. Any more info on the incident would be appreciated. 

Thanks for sharing, and I hope you heal up back to 100% soon!


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## BRAAAP

I got lucky. I was sitting on a stool greasing the fronend when it broke, the bumper cought the top of my knee cap pushing my leg down and out from under the truck. Like i said im lucky it didnt break more! I get the cast off in 2 weeks Dr said i should recover 100% in 4-6 months.


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## pdqdl

If this was done at work, and you are covered by worker's comp; I wouldn't take the first settlement offer if I were you. That last x-ray looks like permanent ankle damage to me.

Sure, the Doc fixed it real well. It looks beautiful. I would be very concerned about arthritis in the long run. Be sure to get lots of proper therapy after the cast comes off. It will make a huge difference.

BTW: I have a similar (but more severe) ankle fracture to yours. It never healed great due to all the ligament and cartilage damage. The orthopedic surgeons do a great job putting the bones back where they should be, but that does not restore everything in the joint to the way it was.


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## BRAAAP

Yes it was done at work, But being done at my shop and being the owner of the company workers comp doesnt do sh!t. He did a great job putting it back together he's one of the best in the area! was very happy when I found out he was doing it. Now i just got to find a set of gaff's that dont rub on my ankle bone, so if any one with the same kinda injury or problem any help wound be great!


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## pdqdl

I'm very much an expert on living with that kind of injury. 

That tibia fracture (outside bump on your ankle) will be very tender for quite a few months. It has a great blood supply, heals well, and hurts like hell when you bump it. Regular above-the-the-ankle boots are your best friend. Winter insulated boots have nice padding on the ankle, too. Don't tie those boots on tight, it will ruin the comfy padding effect and put stress on the fractures. You will also probably discover that your old footwear no longer fits, and that you will need to buy boots at least one size too big. Rubber boots are a particular problem, since your ankle isn't likely to bend "toe-down" as much as it used to.

Since your gaffs will be located on the instep side of your ankle (unless you are one of those really funny guys), the tiba fracture shouldn't be a problem, and those screws on the instep side will have enough padding to not be problematic. Is the doc going to remove any of the hardware later? It all looks permanent to me.

My ankle never bothered me any while climbing, since that doesn't require a lot of bending. My problem is after I get back down on the ground and somebody starts asking me to drag brush. My greatest difficulty has always been flexing the joint enough to walk normally. It doesn't, and I can't. 

So...get that therapy, and stick to it! The discomfort you get now might very well pay off later in normal walking ability. I was injured in 1982, and no one offered any rehab. The doctor gave me a rubber bungee and told me to use it. It hurt a lot, I didn't, but I wish now that I had.


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## RVALUE

Overwatch said:


> A jackstand failure has always been a worrisome concern of mine. I never felt safe with those stamped-steel jackstands; whenever I am stuck using those I always back them up with something, usually a stack of tires. Any more info on the incident would be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for sharing, and I hope you heal up back to 100% soon!



I've had those steel ramps 'shoot' out when on a slab because one tire was not all the way on the top, but still on the 'ramp' part. Very unsafe.

I'd use tires (without rims) whenever I can't find foam seat cushions.






















Sorry. I couldn't resist.


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## MANORMAN

*Small injury compared to what I've seen here/ INTRODUCTION*

Just joined after a long time lurking. Guess my bout with the splitter was the selling point.
Thanks to all for great reading, volumes of knowledge and experience, and for making this forum a must read daily activity for us.

So yes, working some oak on a I & O 26 ton. 37 years without gettin bit. Working with another splitter to my side and all was going so smooth but the other operator was doing things that kept catching my eye. He has 40 years hard exp splitting. Had a really bad gut feeling !

Then bang, felt the pinch, hit the return quick , and prepared for the worst.

Caught the tip of my thumb from sitting in the pinch zone. peeled off the glove and saw the top hanging.
Grabbed my tape from the tool table we keep and strapped the top back on. Cut another piece to slow the blood flow and set out to clean up and secure the area.
Of course my buddy had to over react, insisting that we call the ambulance, police etc... To this day he swears I was going into shock and making no sense but it looks like I had it under control !

No, I just cleaned up and called my wife who got there about 15 minutes after the cut.
Reluctantly went to the local chop shop Emergency room and they kept me waiting over an hour, blood dripping, wound throbbing.
Finally the wife's rottweiler protection personality kicks in and sets the ER straight telling them that if I lose the piece of thumb it wont go well,,,,,cell phone in hand,,,,getting ready to dial the family attorney, who is tight with that Hospital.

They take me in, tell me that i'm gonna lose the finger,,or worse,,,and I'll have to wait for xrays and the surgeon. Again wife kicks in and suggests stopping the bleeding, cleaning the wound to get a good starting point and doing something ......anything.....
15 minutes later they sent a small army, cleansed the wound and found that they needed to close the area before the damage could not be reversed. Radiology came for me, did a lot of screens , and the splitter had stopped,,,,,at the bone,,, so no break, no fracture,, and a lot of people scratching their heads. 

It ends with a great set of drs etc.... putting it all back together, actually doing a picture perfect job, and me leaving with the hope that I'll still have 9 good fingers after the heal, less complications from bacteria, MRSA, etc.... ( AND FOLKS THESE BACTERIA INFECTIONS FROM EVEN THE SMALLEST WOUNDS SEEM TO BE 1,000 TIMES WORSE THAN 40 YEARS AGO ).

Optimistic

Down for 3 days due to pain. No Narcotics! Splitting again in 73 hours. Saw work will take a bit longer.


Not sure where this post should go. Seemed like a good spot. If not feel free to move.


Hello Arborsite, Chris here from Eastern Long Island. Glad to be here amongst some great people.


----------



## NHlocal

MANORMAN said:


> Just joined after a long time lurking. Guess my bout with the splitter was the selling point.
> Thanks to all for great reading, volumes of knowledge and experience, and for making this forum a must read daily activity for us.
> 
> So yes, working some oak on a I & O 26 ton. 37 years without gettin bit. Working with another splitter to my side and all was going so smooth but the other operator was doing things that kept catching my eye. He has 40 years hard exp splitting. Had a really bad gut feeling !
> 
> Then bang, felt the pinch, hit the return quick , and prepared for the worst.
> 
> Caught the tip of my thumb from sitting in the pinch zone. peeled off the glove and saw the top hanging.
> Grabbed my tape from the tool table we keep and strapped the top back on. Cut another piece to slow the blood flow and set out to clean up and secure the area.
> Of course my buddy had to over react, insisting that we call the ambulance, police etc... To this day he swears I was going into shock and making no sense but it looks like I had it under control !
> 
> No, I just cleaned up and called my wife who got there about 15 minutes after the cut.
> Reluctantly went to the local chop shop Emergency room and they kept me waiting over an hour, blood dripping, wound throbbing.
> Finally the wife's rottweiler protection personality kicks in and sets the ER straight telling them that if I lose the piece of thumb it wont go well,,,,,cell phone in hand,,,,getting ready to dial the family attorney, who is tight with that Hospital.
> 
> They take me in, tell me that i'm gonna lose the finger,,or worse,,,and I'll have to wait for xrays and the surgeon. Again wife kicks in and suggests stopping the bleeding, cleaning the wound to get a good starting point and doing something ......anything.....
> 15 minutes later they sent a small army, cleansed the wound and found that they needed to close the area before the damage could not be reversed. Radiology came for me, did a lot of screens , and the splitter had stopped,,,,,at the bone,,, so no break, no fracture,, and a lot of people scratching their heads.
> 
> It ends with a great set of drs etc.... putting it all back together, actually doing a picture perfect job, and me leaving with the hope that I'll still have 9 good fingers after the heal, less complications from bacteria, MRSA, etc.... ( AND FOLKS THESE BACTERIA INFECTIONS FROM EVEN THE SMALLEST WOUNDS SEEM TO BE 1,000 TIMES WORSE THAN 40 YEARS AGO ).
> 
> Optimistic
> 
> Down for 3 days due to pain. No Narcotics! Splitting again in 73 hours. Saw work will take a bit longer.
> 
> 
> Not sure where this post should go. Seemed like a good spot. If not feel free to move.
> 
> 
> Hello Arborsite, Chris here from Eastern Long Island. Glad to be here amongst some great people.



Welcome to AS Chris,
glad to hear all turned out well(eventually :hmm3grin2orange: ). 
Work safe. :msp_thumbsup:


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## griff154

Tko with a sprung maple snot bubbles and a broken orbital. And widow maker to the top of my hard hat two heriated discs in my neck also a tko. That's it and that's all I ever want too happen , somebody is watchin out for me. Thank you very much!


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## TreeGuyHR

pdqdl said:


> If this was done at work, and you are covered by worker's comp; I wouldn't take the first settlement offer if I were you. That last x-ray looks like permanent ankle damage to me.
> 
> Sure, the Doc fixed it real well. It looks beautiful. I would be very concerned about arthritis in the long run. Be sure to get lots of proper therapy after the cast comes off. It will make a huge difference.
> 
> BTW: I have a similar (but more severe) ankle fracture to yours. It never healed great due to all the ligament and cartilage damage. The orthopedic surgeons do a great job putting the bones back where they should be, but that does not restore everything in the joint to the way it was.



Forgot to add it to my earlier post in the thread, had the end of my tibia break completely off and re-attached with two screws (broke it in the car wreck I mentioned -- something has to give if you are 6 ft. 2 and total a little car at 60 mph by crumpling the front end -- lucky for me, it was a transverse engine -- no doubt saved my life :msp_thumbup:. It's still a lump, but I wear gaffs and the only problem I get is blisters on my calf if they move around too much. Hurts like hitting your elbow if I wack my ankle into something :msp_ohmy:. 

With all the metal in my ankle and neck, why I don't set off metal detectors at airports I don't know:msp_confused:.


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## pdqdl

If they went off on nail and screws, everybody's shoes would set them off. They are set less sensitive than that, probably so that they don't continuously get false positives.

At airports, all the bull about taking off your belt and shoes isn't so that you can pass the metal detectors without holding up the line...it's about checking for stuff where the metal detector doesn't.

I'll admit to setting off an occasional metal detector, but I am pretty sure it was never any of my internal metal...just the stuff that I wasn't compelled to take off or hand in.


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## bootboy

My worst injury:
Two stitches in the back of my hand from accidentally smacking it with a handsaw. That's it. No broken bones, no other stitches, no surgeries. I've been extremely lucky, and careful.


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## RVALUE

I am not the most injured person here. However , close. My fake back doesn't always set them off, but they set me off. Head strait over to the strip area. I'd rather drive to 'a long ways' than to fly.


Carry on.


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## treesmith

My worst injury was unrelated to trees. Aged 15 my bike threw me over the handlebars and landed awkwardly. I was standing on the pedals when the cable snapped at the lever, the unbroken cable between the brake arms jammed the mud tyre and weeeeeeee! Threw my arms up and split my right humerus lengthways from my elbow to halfway up my arm. Eldest sister's boyfriend said it was just sprained and that I should move it around, I never thought much of him before that and even less after. 3+ hrs in theatre and its almost perfect 20 years later. Otherwise been real lucky with no permanent damage, a few near misses from not quite understanding just what can happen in certain situations but that's experience. 
Almost killed a driver taking down a big Beech over a road in rural Scotland, he wasn't stopping and no traffic lights, road signs or waving panicked groundies were getting in his way.
I've seen a groundie instinctively reach out and catch a running hedgecutter by the blade and I've seen the scars when a climbers 020 caught his sleeve and run up his arm into his neck. They were both ok after a while.

My biggest near miss was in 01 while I was new at Arb college and only had basic rope/harness/prusik. I was helping a farmer friend take down an old dying (trunk covered in black canker) storm damaged European Ash, took off a big limb over the road and we were going to leave the main barrel but everything else off. All went well until we came to the top, under the farmers instruction I put a rope up top to pull it into the field with the tractor. "Put a cut in each side about 40' up then I'll pull it when you're down and clear" he says. Don't like the idea of that, but I had no spurs and he's been working with trees for a long time and knows more than me so I put an inch deep cut (or so I thought) as high as i could reachon two sides in a 14"+ diameter stem and came down. 

I remember this as clear as day, my feet touched down, I pulled slack through my prusik and opened my karabiner. At that moment I hear a "crack" from above and I ran, didn't look up, just ran and yes the top 30'+ landed right where I had been. That'll be the big hollow I hadn't seen right where my cuts were.

I learnt some very important things that day. If things go wrong in a tree it can happen real fast and once they do there's not always much you can do about it. Think things through and if you know doing something is wrong, just don't do it.

Life is too short, why make it shorter?


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## Undy

Hmmm. I just noticed this thread. Funny what gets dragged up from the past. Worst injury (plural)? None of 'em are saw-related for me. Probably poor impulse control. But how am I still alive?

July 6, 1974, dove into Stewart Lake chasing a girl, landed on my head on a rock  and blew C4,5,6 out, bruising the spinal cord, quadriplegic for some time, Dr. wired my neck together again, eventually the swelling went down and most movement returned. I broke the wires within a week of getting out of the hospital. I still suffer from Brown-Sequard syndrome, one in a million or less I'm told...

'76 riding down a ski hill on a air-filled water-bed bladder and got wrapped backwards around a tree, hyperextending my middle back. Still have issues with core stability.

'78 head-on crash in VW Beetle convertible with a drunk driver. Door lock handle went through my left cheek. Smashed my knees.

Mar. '90, major crash at Copper Mt. Colo. skiing, concussion, fractured ribs, both thumbs and ball in right shoulder, and sprained my neck. Hurt so bad I puked from the pain. (Skied A-Basin 2 days later...)

Spring '95, major crash at Powder Mt. Utah skiing in the woods in a whiteout. Out cold for a long time, and remained senseless even after I woke up. Endless ambulance ride down to Ogden. Broke my beak and another concussion. 

End of '99, crushed lowest two lumbar discs hauling building materials around.

Three concussions in past 3 yrs. of skiing, out cold twice. I'd probably be safer playing hockey or pro football!

Today I'm headed out to clear 3 trees that blew down over my pasture fence. And just when things were looking up...


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## lumberjack48

Third generation logger, ran chainsaw felling and bucking up timber, ran skidder, drove truck, ran knuckle boom for 30 yrs. I was falling on a windy day [35 mph] it was bitter cold [-57 with wind chill] working against all my rules. That day, 2-8-89 at a little after 4 pm, a tree hit me, broke my neck crushing 4 vertebra, breaking the 5 th, leaving me a quad. The wife had to feed me the first yr, i got my right hand back good enough to hold a spoon so i can feed my self and type with one finger. I didn't have any insurance so its been tough all these yrs. just keep on, keeping on is all we can do.


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## pdqdl

Ok. It's about time.

I am officially off the list as the most injured participant. You guys got me beat hands down.


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## Undy

lumberjack48 said:


> Third generation logger, ran chainsaw felling and bucking up timber, ran skidder, drove truck, ran knuckle boom for 30 yrs. I was falling on a windy day [35 mph] it was bitter cold [-57 with wind chill] working against all my rules. That day, 2-8-89 at a little after 4 pm, a tree hit me, broke my neck crushing 4 vertebra, breaking the 5 th, leaving me a quad. The wife had to feed me the first yr, i got my right hand back good enough to hold a spoon so i can feed my self and type with one finger. I didn't have any insurance so its been tough all these yrs. just keep on, keeping on is all we can do.



Quad, Jesuz that's rough, my condolences. My folks always told me not to dive into lakes, but I did it anyway, against all my rules too. I consider myself to be blessed just to be able to get out of bed, wipe my own rear end, and feed myself again. Glad to see that you're able to get out, even via one finger and the keyboard. It's great that this forum is around, even for some of us busted up old woodcutters.

In '96 my Mom got run over by an airplane landing, and it broke her neck leaving her with really minimal movement of her hands & arms. I always imagined some sort of voice-recognition software to allow her easier use of a computer, while she was alive. Any chance you could find and use something like that?

Anyway, glad you're around to tell the tale. Hang in there.


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## bushy79

*respect.*

respect to all of you doing your job with no NHS or medicare. 

i had a whole list of stupid hurts to post but i think ill wait a while.

big love and thoughts to those of you seriously injured on the job.

hope these few words find you happy and as healthy as can possibly be.

easy.

bushy


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## jefflovstrom

bushy79 said:


> respect to all of you doing your job with no NHS or medicare.
> 
> i had a whole list of stupid hurts to post but i think ill wait a while.
> 
> big love and thoughts to those of you seriously injured on the job.
> 
> hope these few words find you happy and as healthy as can possibly be.
> 
> easy.
> 
> bushy



Spam,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Jeff


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## farmer steve

guess i'm just lucky.all my injuries were fixed with a band-aid or spit. reading and looking at all these posts made my butt hole pucker. i won't be able to poop for a week.


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## woodchuck357

*Worst injury on job: second degree burns on back while working a fire line*

and various splinters over the years. Off the job broke ankle two years ago practice for a sky dive with grandson.


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## pdqdl

Fibula fracture, or did you do a full fledged "parachutist fracture" on that ankle?

I can sympathize, having torn up my left ankle.


----------



## woodchuck357

The docs just said you really screwed it up. I now land mostly on the other foot and wear very stiff boots. Surprise is that it doesn't bother me when standing on spurs during a long take down.


----------



## SecondGenMonkey

Only one I've ever had at work.
I was checking on why a chipper was feeding weird and leaned over to tell my co-worker it was time for lunch break.

Turns out the drum had a nail jammed in it that was holding it under pretty good tension when we shut it off.

I guess I got my glove in just the wrong place because the nail gave, drum turned about 1/16 of a rotation grabbing a tiny piece of my glove and almost severing the first joint of my right index finger.

Here's the result.









Sent from a thing using a program


----------



## pdqdl

Bump. 
Making this liable to be found, given new interest from the WTF thread.


----------



## cookies

Hurt on the job, engine hydro locked from fuel. spun engine over without plugs and distributor/coil unplugged. got showered with fuel, turned key off standing outside the vehicle, vapors inside ignited blowing out the open window catching my clothing on fire. 
90 days in the hospital, 12 skin grafts, 46% of body burned, most important part- no damages to my 3rd leg or its two companions. After 2 years of healing I was starting to do physical things outside, drive myself and walk further than 50 feet. 10 years later I still battle heat stroke, dehydration, nerve damage pains, sensitivity to sunlight and only sweat on half my body.


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## pdqdl

What a hoot. I did that too, only I wasn't smart enough to unplug the coil. 

I thought it was hydro-locked on antifreeze, and didn't expect any kind of flamethrower action. I wasn't burned nearly as badly as you were. My incident was ignited by the ignition, and I think a lot of the gas burned up in the air before it got to me.


----------



## cookies

pdqdl said:


> What a hoot. I did that too, only I wasn't smart enough to unplug the coil.
> 
> I thought it was hydro-locked on antifreeze, and didn't expect any kind of flamethrower action. I wasn't burned nearly as badly as you were. My incident was ignited by the ignition, and I think a lot of the gas burned up in the air before it got to me.


the dr's told me that taking my melted uniform off likely saved my life, I was [email protected] naked, wrapped in a towel for the ambulance/helicopter rides. Shop uniforms should be cotton, luckily the jeans were cotton so only the shirt melted into my skin...really sucked peeling it off and then peeling the bandages the local hospital put on without large amounts of Silva dine to help prevent attachment to the scabbing 12 hours later in the burn unit.


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## Campbellcontractlogging

Log crushed my leg got compartment syndrome lost half my calf muscle almost died from that un felt like **** for 5 days as my body was processing the dead tissue right after I drove myself home laid on the couch with my leg up for 5 hrs till I had to piss so bad I got up hopped to the toilet started to piss got ice cold started to shiver sweating almost passed out from the pain for five months every time I got up the pounding in my leg was almost unbearable had to go to work at the saw mill to make ends meet for 4 months all together it was 8 months till I could log again and not at top shape took another 4 months in the woods till I was almost as good as I once was have never been the same.


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## biggerstaff94

Ive got sh*t luck with concussions.

First good one was a kid smacking me in the head with a shovel when i was 16ish. Concussion and stitches.

Got knocked in the head with a high lift jack spreading the frame on a dodge. Concussion and stitches.

Was cleaning an alignment rack while another guy swept under it. Stepped on the turntable wrong and down i went. Dislocated my knee and fell 2’ off of it. Racked the back of my head on the concrete resulting in concussion #3.

Got smoked in the face with a trailer jack handle when i was landscaping right out of highschool (long story that i dont personally remember). Luckily there was a skid loader behind me to break the fall. Concussion, stitches, broken nose and clavicle, and a dental implant on 2 posts to replace my 8 front teeth. That was a grade 4 concussion. 0/10 would not recommend. I had issues for over a year with that one. Took me a couple days to put together who my girlfriend of 3 years was.

Next up i almost ground my finger off when i was cutting a bolt head off of a hitch. Got it pinched between the grinder and truck frame. Pro tip, dont go to the hospital asking for stitches when theres nothing left to stitch.

Smashed my finger in the door of my old 96 Chevy truck. Broke the nail about an 1/8” from the top. Later accidentally yanked the still live remainder of the nail off when i was taking off a welding glove.

At work:
I pulled a large plate off of a surface grinder, it slipped and slit my wrist in the wrong spot. Blood EVERYWHERE.

Was polishing a handle on a lathe, my hand slipped and i punched a 12” 3 jaw spinning at 2500rpm. Nothing broke but chewed it up and twisted everything from the elbow down pretty good.

Cut my finger right down the center (long ways) almost to the knuckle on a table saw.


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## Tobystihl

This one, early this year with a Husky 550...working long hours on a poweline shutdown, very tired, a week previously I'd had covid so was feeling weak and made a very poor judgement....


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## Tobystihl

I must add, I've been on the saw for the past twenty two years, I'm no newbie..!


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## Tobystihl

Stitched up...


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## Tobystihl

Healing....


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## Tobystihl

I will admit to my stupid mistake... I was too far down a valley (not to mention exhausted!!) to go back for the extendable saw head (fibreglass insulated rods and silky) so I reached up with one hand to cut the high limb, expecting to hold the saw throughout the cut... saw went through the limb, the limb caught the bar, saw dropped with my hand still on the trigger, arm came down on a lower limb, folded at the elbow throwing the tip of the bar into my stomach... No excuses, I know it was a dumb thing to do, I was tired, dehydrated and paid the price.... Please be careful out there, I know you guys will think I'm an idiot but that's ok, I totally deserve it! I will wear this scar of stupidity for the rest of my days........


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## Gabby3545

Campbellcontractlogging said:


> Log crushed my leg got compartment syndrome lost half my calf muscle almost died from that un felt like **** for 5 days as my body was processing the dead tissue right after I drove myself home laid on the couch with my leg up for 5 hrs till I had to piss so bad I got up hopped to the toilet started to piss got ice cold started to shiver sweating almost passed out from the pain for five months every time I got up the pounding in my leg was almost unbearable had to go to work at the saw mill to make ends meet for 4 months all together it was 8 months till I could log again and not at top shape took another 4 months in the woods till I was almost as good as I once was have never been the same.


Not me, but my late hubby. Tore bicep tendon trying to catch a log rolling toward him. His arm was black all the way to his wrist in a few days. Don't know how to insert pic.


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## oldbuzzard

Tobystihl said:


> I will admit to my stupid mistake... I was too far down a valley (not to mention exhausted!!) to go back for the extendable saw head (fibreglass insulated rods and silky) so I reached up with one hand to cut the high limb, expecting to hold the saw throughout the cut... saw went through the limb, the limb caught the bar, saw dropped with my hand still on the trigger, arm came down on a lower limb, folded at the elbow throwing the tip of the bar into my stomach... No excuses, I know it was a dumb thing to do, I was tired, dehydrated and paid the price.... Please be careful out there, I know you guys will think I'm an idiot but that's ok, I totally deserve it! I will wear this scar of stupidity for the rest of my days........


Glad you mentioned being dehydrated. I‘m frequently cutting in high and dry mountains and that is a serious issue that is not always obvious, especially as it will effect your judgement before your physical performance (at least with me). In my younger days I flew a lot (as pilot) in small aircraft. Since I didn’t want to have to pee on the trip I would not drink before the flight. Big mistake!


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## Mike Davis

mndlawn said:


> What was your worst injury?


As a teenager, I went through a short stint of Railroad train surfing. When a train would go by slow enough, I'd jump on the ladder of the car. The second time I attempted this, the train majorly sped up after I jumped on. I panicked and thought , what do I do now. My logic was, if I jumped off I could stay running along side of it and gradually slow myself down. Not how it worked, When I jumped, I instantly face-planted in rocks that are track side. I knocked my 2 front teeth out and still have the scar on my chin

2012 Willow tree removal: At my TIP, but only tied in by a buck-strap with my climbing-line on my hip. I started the chainsaw to make a couple cut's and the buck-strap came off of my D-ring some how and I free fell 25-30 Ft. I should have been tied-in twice! I broke the L-3 off my spine and a rib


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## Overwatch

ripped the very tip of my right middle finger off in a e-bike sprocket, that happened one year ago


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## The Shooters Apprentice

With a saw I took one tooths worth of meat off my knee cap when I was about 14. 

On the Job I got my right leg tangled under the the foot rest and under the back tire on a 4 wheeler. Nothing broken, but not a good time.

Working for myself I slipped off a trailer last year and broke about a few bones in my right hand. Been about a year but still dealing with it.


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