# Tree Accidents



## Tim Walsh

In reading through the posts, I have occasionally seen comments about accidents. Unfortunately they are always the, "I know of this one climber who..." or "Some guy in the next county..."

If you know of an accident, and have any accurate information (not just the story, but that is helpful too) please send it to me. We are looking for ways to make things safer for climbers, and one of the best ways that I know of is to learn from others.


The more accurate and detailed the account, the better off it will be. Newspaper articles rarely get the technical stuff right about an accident, but at least it gives me a source.

I would like to get to the point where we could publish something like the "Accidents in North American Mountaineering."

Please respond to my email address for comments and accident reports.

Thanks,


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## John Paul McMillin

hey Tim ive been working in tree care and related fields for 20 years. About 4 years ago when i was with Bartlett Tree Experts, MY good friend Bob Palese was doing IPM at a condo. I had been there the day before fertilizing the plants in the early morning. The very next day he was doing specialty services and was pruning an azalea. Well there was a yellow jacket nest in the ground and he got stung once ( he was never allergic before) and within 5 min his heart stopped. the paramedics got there and got his heart going but now he was in a coma. I went to see him in the hospital and it was very hard to see a friend in that condition. Well he had no brain activity and they eventually took him off life support. Ill miss him always. I feel for his family he was only 40 years old. So do we carry bee sting kits with us out in the feild? most doctors wont even give them to you unless they know you are allergic. I think that we should have them with us!!!! john


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## treeman82

I know this is gonna sound dumb, but a good friend of mine got 2 of his toes broken the other day. I dont know how it happened, but a guy was moving the chipper around and ran over the corner of his foot breaking 2 toes. He was lucky- it was a Morbark model 17, only 2 tires


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## treeman82

oh yes, i forgot to mention that, if any of you remember the guy a couple years ago who won the wood chuck chipper at the TCI show- the guy got run over by a small bulldozer a few years ago and lived. sued the pants off the owner.


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## shane

*tree accident, I was there.*

My name is Shane. I have been a tree climber for the last fourteen years. I have seen numerous accidents in my career, most of which were the victims own fault. Short cutting, horse play and pure negligence have always been to blame. 
This was not the case however for the accident that I will describe.
In 1997 I took a journeyman climber position for Asplundh Tree Experts. Aspundh in case you don't know is a multi-million dollar company that specializes in electrical line clearance for big money power and light contracts.
I had been on my new crew's roster three days when we were called to an emergency tree removal. I was happy to be given the oppurtunity to "show my stuff". My new foreman, who had been with the company a long time was excited as well for the oppurtunity to show his tree savvy to the higher ups.
We showed up and looked at the tree to be removed. It was a dead, dead, dead American Elm tree. Not too big, about sixty feet at the top of the crown. At first glance both of us saw no problem with the removal. Then I noticed some bark peeling off. I pulled the bark and a sheet about six feet long fell off the trunk.
I pointed the bark out to my foreman and he agreed that the tree was "possibly" too dangerous to climb. The general foreman, who had little actual tree climbing experience, suggested we be careful. My foreman pointed out that there was a place for a bucket truck to get in. The bucket truck idea was shot down. The gist of the conversation as I understood it was: If you can't handle it, I'll give it to a crew that can.
Against our better judgement we took the job. I climbed up first and tied in at about fifty feet. I set my foreman's rope in a secure crotch and he also entered the tree. The idea was that we could assist each other with roping the limbs that were hanging over the primary power line and the service line to the P&L customers house. In our opionion the sooner we got it done with the better.
I had already taken the top out of the branches over the service line when my foreman started to maneuver into position to rope a main lead from over the primary electrical line. He secured his taut line hitch around a main lead approximately a foot in diameter. 
Being that the tree was so dead and roping options were very limited, the foreman was forced to cut the branch smaller to avoid contact with the electrical wire. It is strict Asplundh company policy that the only equipment used is issued by the company. With all of the company rhetoric and boasting about "safety first", it's amusing that they supply the climbers with the bare minimum and lowest quality of equipment allowed by OSHA.
Anyway due to a lack of extra ropes or lanyards to secure himself to another lead, the foreman shimmied out on the branch about forty feet off the ground, parallel to his tie in. Our logic was that if the limb he was on gave way, that the main lead he was tied into would hold his fall.
He reached the point where he needed to cut and wrapped his lanyard around the limb to increase his balance. He was in the process of setting the pull rope when I heard the snap. 
The enitre lead snapped off ten feet below his tie in. I yelled, "Hang on!" That's exactly what my formen did. He rode the limb down through the air and landed on the power line, snapping it in two. I watched as he slammed into a large lilac bush and disappeared into the bush.
I rappelled down as fast as possible and saw that the electrical line was inside the bush with the foreman. I heard no noise and assumed he was either dead or unconscious. I weighed the danger of getting shocked and decided that the foreman could very likely be in a life threatening situation. I saw his orange shirt and heaved him out of the bush. As I grabbed him he awoke from being knocked out and staggered to his feet in horror. No ****, horror.
The groundman had already called 911 and the general foreman. I did what I could to calm him and waited for the ambulance.
Here's where it gets screwed up. First to show up was our union representative and fellow climber who had been in the area. Second was the general foreman, looking like he just ate a **** sandwich, and third. No lie. Asplundh's corporate attorneys. AKA: Spin doctors. The ambulance arrived at the same time and rushed in. 
While the formen lay on the ground numb, the paramedics asked him and I questions to evaluate the extent of his injuries. Adrenaline had taken over any of my defensive thoughts or emotions. I hadn't even thought of blame or why it had happened. 
About that time the younger of the two attorneys asked me where he was tied in. I had no idea who they were, I assumed they were from power and light. I honestly told them that he was properly tied in and hadn't done anything wrong. I saw the two look at each other and for some reason knew I should stay on my guard. The union rep who had been on the side castrating the general foreman saw the two suits questioning me and came to my rescue. 
The foreman was escorted away and I stayed for questioning with the union rep and the rest of the parties who might feel legally in danger.
The company supervisor repeatedly tried to create scenarios that he was sure had happened to try and get me to change my story. It wasn't unitl I said that both the foreman and I had verbally requested that the the tree not be climbed, that the suits decided to drop the subject.
The foreman suffered a broken rotator cup and mild concussion. He refused union legal advice and opted to go back to work two days after the doctor cleared his shoulder. 
He tried to climb but was never the same. He couldn't climb more than fifteen feet without freezing up. The company gave him a bucket truck and as far as I know he's still with them today.
Today I run my own tree company in Canada. I have never underestimated the the experience I learned from working at Asplundh. Modern technolgy has been developed to make our lives easier and safer. Just because loggers used to take Redwoods down with crosscuts, doesn't mean it's the best way. Many of the "New" techniques for tree felling and roping are a bit overkill, but there are some very nifty devices out there that not only lessen the odds of an accident but provide "one more option". Isn't that what makes a good tree climber. Options.


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## Darin

Shane,
That is an excellent story. It just goes to show, that even though some guys are higher up (at the time), they don't know everything. You guys were uneasy about it to begin with. He was just calling you out as if you werent man enough or he would get someone else that was man enough. I think I would have gone up there too. Although, if you look at it, I bet you would go on your insticts the next time.


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## yergus

IN 1998 I WAS GETTING READY TO CUT A LIMB OFF A LARGE TREE. THE LIMB WAS ONLY 15 FEET OFF THE GROUND, AND ALL I HAD WAS AN EXTENTION LADDER, AND A CONCRETE WALL WAS IN THE WAY TO SET IT AT A PROPER ANGLE. SO I HAD IT LEANING AGAINST THE TREE, LAYING ON THE LADDER, CHAIN SAW RUNNING I STARTED TO CUT THE LIMB WHEN I NOTICE A STRING THAT HELD A HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER. I SWITCHED THE CHAIN SAW TO MY LEFT HAND AND STARTED TO REACH FOR THE STRING WHEN THE LADDER SLID OUT FROM UNDER ME. TO MAKE A LONG AND PAINFULL STORY SHORT, I COMPLETELY DESTROYED MY LEFT ELBOW, CAVED IN MY LEFT CHEEK BONE AND EYE BROW RIDGE. 
AFTER 5 HOURS OF SURGURY, PIECING MY ELBOW BACK TOGETHER AND REPLACING A SMALL PART FROM THE BONE BANK (TWO LONG PLATES AND 14 SCREWS) I WAS BACK TOGETHER. AT FIRST THE DOCTOR DIDN'T THINK I WOULD HAVE USE OF THE ARM ANYMORE, BUT WITH EXTENSIVE SURGERY AND A LOT OF PAIN, I HAVE 85% BACK. 1 PLATE AND 4 SCREWS IN MY CHEEK AND ONE PLATE AND SIX SCREWS IN MY EYE BROW RIDGE. 
I WAS BACK TO WORK THE FOLLOWING SPRING. LUCKILY THE JOB WAS THE LAST OF THE SEASON, (BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER NOT THE INJURY)
IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH TO GET HURT, BUT IT TAKES ALOT TO GET OVER IT.


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## treeclimber165

Yup, I have seen or heard about too many people getting hurt while using a chainsaw from a ladder. I use a ladder, but only to get in the tree. The ladder MUST be removed before I start my saw. The only exception to this is pruning palm trees. Then I clip my lanyard around the palm tree while standing on the ladder so I can lean back and brace myself BEFORE starting the saw.

My accident was due to being in a hurry and not taking the time to listen to my own instincts. Eight trims on a residential job, we had 5 done by 11:30AM. I wanted to knock out a medium Sycamore before lunch, 5 dead limbs and minor elevation. After throwing my rope up 5 times and missing the limb I was aiming for, I got it over a smaller limb beside the one I wanted. It was only 2" diameter, but I decided it would hold me long enough to get up the 20' to the other limbs. Well, it didn't, it snapped when I was within 6" of reaching the other limbs. I've lost a year of work with little hope of returning to climbing full time. All because I was in too much of a hurry to get the ladder out or pull my rope down and throw it again. 
I believe most accidents are NOT because of lack of knowledge, but rather being in too much of a hurry to do things the way we were taught.


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## treetrunk

Although, I haven`t been involved in any major accidents yet, touch wood, I came very close last week while carrying out a crown reduction on a large false acacia. I was about thirty foot up the tree and about fifteen foot out on the limb trimming back about 25%, when one of the groundsmen accidently threw the other end of my lifeline through the chipper, and luckily he realised almost straight away. Fortunately I was not hurt by my saw as i was pulled from the position I was cutting in, But I did lose 3-4 metres of my rope, and I had a false crotch/cambium saver on the end of rope that was chipped which didn`t do our vermeer any favours I`m sure.


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## sgreanbeans

does the ground man still walk! mine on my second day of training was trying to get my rope out from under a branch that the homeowner had moved to get his car out. he started pulling it and didnt realize that the pull was not from the branch but from me! when i got down we discussed the " pull me out of a tree and you better run" theory! dont worry guys me teacher did most of the work! i was learning the equipment/ trust issue. this little incident didnt help!


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## monkeypuzzle

I read somewhere that a climber was actually pulled from the tree by a chipper.Ground crew fed the limb with climbing rope wrapped around a snag and bam! Down came climber,graveyard dead.You are lucky .


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## treeclimber165

Just one more reason to keep sharp knives on your chipper! I have always had 2-3 lifelines of different lengths. I try not to use a rope any longer than I need. No sense having 40' of rope coiled under the tree getting snagged in the brush if you don't need it. I use my 75' lifeline ten times more than my 125' lifeline. If the tree is under 50' tall, I use the shorter rope. Less to coil up when you are done, too!


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## Deere John

Being semi-retired from this sport, and semi-healthy too, I now only pick on semi-big trees. My safety line is 100' long, and I only take on work that size or smaller.

My fall was from an extension ladder too - like Brian said - too hurried, no lanyard tieoff.


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## shane

*lanyard with an adjustable cam*

I got fed up with my chicken strap. It's the kind you make yourself with a peice of climbing line and taut line hitch. It's perfect for trees up to about three feet in diameter. Anything bigger, is a real ***** to adjust as you climb.
This guy up here in Montreal hooked me up with a cam device that your rope slides thru. You can tighten or loosen with one hand, and ways about as much as a D-ring.


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## shane

*lanyard with an adjustable cam*

I got fed up with my chicken strap. It's the kind you make yourself with a peice of climbing line and taut line hitch. It's perfect for trees up to about three feet in diameter. Anything bigger, is a real ***** to adjust as you climb.
This guy up here in Montreal hooked me up with a cam device that your rope slides thru. You can tighten or loosen with one hand, and ways about as much as a D-ring. I know of several accidents from climbers spurring out while either tightening or loosening a pinched taut line lanyard.


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## Jim Desrosiers

*hard hat/hard head*

I am 34 and have been climbing for 7 years and a lic arborist through the state of Rhode Island.I was also a volunteer firefighter/emt for 11 years on a heavy rescue truck.I never thought that someday I would be the victom! I own my own tree company and employ 2 ground men(brush monkeys).All we do is climbing no bucket trucks,which I have grown to like because I have other tree and landscaping companys hire us out when real tough jobs need to be done.It all started on a day were rag weed polline was very high and my allirgies were kicked into high gear.I am reluctant not to take any allirgy meds will I am climbing.As I dawn my climbing gear which consist of hard hat,saftey glasses,leg chaps,kevlar arm gards,rubber palmed gloves and harness I start what should be a three hour job removing about ten limbs from four trees over a house. All was going to well, I just bought a new sthil pole prunner that I let a salesman talk me into.I found alot of use for it while in the tree(not having to limb walk as much).After about two and half hours the chip truck needed to be emptied,I thought that I would have had enough room too finish the job.So I told one guy to go empty the truck but it was close to cofee brake and the other guy needed to go by the bank (he didn't have a lic to drive the truck so I let them both go.I got my climbing ropes up the tree about 20 feet higher than the limb to be cut( tied of to the trunk). I only had one branch left to cut and thought I would be alright alone.Just after the left I relised I didn't have my pole prunner up there with me.So I decided to limb walk to get to the end and cut small pieces.After I was out about 12 to 15 feet I lost my balance. I fell head first and swung into the tree trunk! My hard hat was knocked of my head and I swung back into the trunk from the other direction, this time I hit without the hard hat and was knocked unconcious. The nighbors saw me hanging and called 911. some how they got me down to the ground. when I woke up in the back of the ambulance I could not feel my arms or feet!After a stay in the hospital for 4 days I walked out with nothing more than a real bad head ache and a sore back. Thanks to weiring my proper saftey equiptment I walked away with some spinal swelling and a hurt ego. That day I learned that I made a few real bad mistakes.one, I never should have been alone. and two I should have waited for the guys to come back because the dump was only 1 mile away.


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## John Paul Sanborn

A testiment to the nesesity of a chinstrap. The muffs are not enough.


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## homelite360

my accident didn't come from a fall but from prep work on the ground. i was using my saw to clear some small trees from around the tree that i was going to drop and that small stuff got tangled in my chain and made the saw come back and get me. it took a 7" by 1" deep chunk out of my left knee. the moral of the story is when you are clearing small stuff use a brush cutter. but i recovered to near prefect use of my leg. but i was takeing down a small tree so i didn't want to fuss with the chaps for 5 minutes of cutting but that was my mistake.


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## R.Borist

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_2046000/2046726.stm


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## Dave

Think I'll stick to using the chipper.


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## kf_tree

i have a friend that blew a house up......they were taking down a city tree. they took the top out and dumped the stick on the front lawn and went to lunch. dumping the stick broke the gas main. when the maid arrived at the house she hit the light switch and boom!. no one was killed but the maid and a passing mail man got banged up.but the house was destroyed. the gentleman that told the story has been climbing for 30 years. he has a ton of tree horror stories


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## FBerkel

*Two near misses*

When I had about a year or two under my belt, while doing a removal, I almost put a running saw into my face. It was the first time i'd ever used a 14 inch bar; was used to a 12 inch bar. I put the tip onto a branch I wasn't cutting, and it kicked back toward my head, dead center on my face. The brim of my hardhat is all that stood between me and a major cosmetic surgery. Two lessons from that one: 1) Wear a hardhat with a brim or face shield (I know the Euro-looking helmets are all the rage, but they don't protect the face unless they have a shield). 2) Know your saw before you take it up a tree.

My other near miss involved my saw getting stuck in the kerf while chunking down silver maple logs. I had been throwing them well clear of a gas meter, but this one pendulumed down, due to the lanyard, then broke free of the saw, and just missed the gas line, with a saw running just a few feet away. I had visions of the type of tree inferno described in the BBC article above. 

I think this is a very worthwhile thread; have read the accidents in mountaineering journal, and it embodies an appropriate level a seriousness about a dangerous endeavor. Tree worker's attitudes should be no different.


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## geofore

*Accidents*

I get a call after the accident, The homeowner put a ladder up to get a low hanging branch and up he goes with his pruning saw about 17' off the ground is the branch and he is reaching up to cut it. He gets about 3/4 of the way through the limb when it cracks and swings back sweeping the ladder out from under him. HE HIT THE GROUND AND HIS ELBOW WAS BROKEN AND HIS ARM IN THREE PLACES. Then I get the call to remove the tree. If he had just tied off it would have saved 18 months of therapy a ladder and a few thousand in medical expenses. I've had more than a few of these calls over the years. You can break your neck falling only nine feet so the next time they ask why you put on all that sissy equip to do a low branch I give them a few phone numbers to call and ask why tie off for such a low branch. 

One of the guys I grew up with cut trees up until this episode. He used his four wheel drive PU to pull trees over for years. He would tie a steel cable to the top and cut the bottom. Well he wanted to get this black cherry tree down but it had rained the night before. Instead of waiting for the ground to dry he thought his four wheel drive had plenty of traction to make up for the wet ground. He cut the tree and signaled his man to move the truck as the truck revs up the tires spin and the tree pulls it over as the tree takes off backwards, pulling down the electric lines on it's way down. The tree being on a hillside and the cable a little short the truck got pulled over the bank and ended up in the street upside down. That was the last time he worked cutting trees. No one was hurt but the truck and the power company had to come out because he knocked out the power for about a mile up the road. Had he waited for the lawn to dry or set a rope to hold the tree from going backwards just in case what happened next happened next and it did. To much of a hurry to get the tree down to set a safety rope just in case.

You don't have to be a pro to get in trouble, just don't pay attention once and it will happen pro or not.

Ask Andy Weylan, cutting fire wood without any safety equipment on he tipped his saw, a 14" saw, into a log and it came back at him so fast it went up through the bottom of his chin, cut his jaw in two and knocked out a couple of teeth. You don't cut with the tip even if it says low kickback on the package.


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## John Paul Sanborn

A distant relative of mine all but cut off his shoulder in a kickback accident while pulping a few decades ago. That side of his body never worked right again.


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## Stumper

Many years ago I got a call from my dad to help him with the removal of 2 large cottonwoods. I was functioning as the ground man while dad climbed. My father was a much better climber than I am but he has never used a lanyard -just his climbing line with friction hitch. On this particular day he broke a rule-he rigged his suspension rope on a secondary branch coming off the top of a main limb rather than on the main limb(because it positioned him better for the cut). The branch he rigged on was 4" in diameter and was sufficient to hold him until......He cut loose a large limb that overhung the house. It swung back on the bullrope as planned but as it did so it swept across the top of that 4" limb he was tied around and broke it off flush with the main branch turning his rope loose. Dad fell backward with a running chainsaw seventeen feet from the ground. He got rid of the saw and snapped his legs down/under him before he hit. He didn't manage to get his knees bent however. I secured the 1200 lbs or so of limb that was hanging over him, shut off the still running saw and found his glasses for him while awaiting the paramedics. He wound up with a compression fracture of the 5th? lumbar vertebrae. Two surgeries and several months later he left the hospital as what is known as a "walking paraplegic". (I.e. He can walk but the docters don't know why.) 

Using a lanyard for positioning makes sense. Always tying off on the main leader is the right way to do it. Most of us have fudged and gotten away with it but it only takes one occassion to change your life forever.

A year ago, a tree surgeon was killed here in Canon City, Co when his 30 year old bucket truck's boom broke. ( I know that the maintence/rebuild requirements of the manufacturors seem like overkill but the equipment does wear out!) 
A couple of months later another local guy fell out of the tree with a limb and landed on his head( he only had a concussion and minor internal injuries!) I got details secondhand so I really don't know how it happened.-The pro told me he fell but didn't share the details.( The secondhand story was he cut the limb he was tied to.) 
BE CAREFUL!!!!!


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## Nickrosis

My only, fortunately, experience with an accident was one of my first days climbing. We were in spruce trees that had been heavily shaded on one side and developed dead branches as a result. Well, after reviewing my knots and sending me on my way up the tree, he began to climb his spruce.

I was talking to him casually when I heard a thud and heard him say, "I think I broke my back." Smiling, I wondered what in the world he was talking about. After turning around and seeing he was no longer in the tree, I stopped smiling! My mentor was lying on the ground, flat on his back.

Apparently, the branch he had tied onto broke - he was not around the trunk (similar to Stumper's dad). Had he been using a cambium saver and tied _around_ the main trunk, this probably never would have happened.

He acted as if he could walk it off, but it was too serious, and he went to the hospital for it. Now, he's climbing just fine, but he wouldn't be if he landed in anything other than soft spruce needles.

Nickrosis

Wisconsinites: Shh, if you know about this.


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## Rob Murphy

We were talking about acidents today.
1) guy fell rencently because of branch failure didnt fall far (2m) threw his arm out and shattered his forearm.
2)guy stepped out of bucket not secured fell head first (5m) busted his chest.
3)Guy descened out of bucket on rope (15m) to go down feet first, attempted reverse foot lock, about half way hands were burning too much had to let go landed on feet. Damaged unknown.

one the subject of descending feet first does anyone know how the military does it , as in 'Black Hawk Down' dropping from choppers. do they use fall arrest/mechanical devices or not anyone know?


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## TREETX

There is no substitute for a healthy sense of self-preservation. Eager to impress my fellow employees on my first day of work in Germany, I scaled a beech, set my climbing line and went out to start limbwalking. The one thing I forgot was to dress my Blakes hitch. Suddenly the ground was coming at me very fast and the sound of screaming school girls filled the air though none were around. Life slowed down and I can remember thinking, "This is going to suck". Weighing rope burn vs broken legs, I latched on. I managed to stop before I hit the ground but the rope burn was not just blistering but bleeding as well. It was 2 weeks until I could climb again. I was too complacent, trying to impress collegues, and not focusing on the task. A lesson was learned.


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## John Paul Sanborn

Fast rope descent from a helo is a hasty rappel on a 2(?) in rope. Wrap around one leg, break between feet and hold on with gloved hands.

Takes a little getting used to, especialy with a combat load.


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## Newfie

helo quick rope,

Sort of a controlled fall, without a broken leg on the landing! It wouldn't be any fun without the combat load to make sure those gloves get nice and hot!


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## Stumper

Somebody with real experience can correct me but I think that military personell use an earless 8 descender for descents on 7/16 threestrand climbing line.


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## Jumper

*Suicide?????*

There was a case just east of here last winter where I woman alledgedly committed suicide by feeding herself through a rented chipper. I do not know whether to believe the suicide part (little bitty parts of dead women with no witnesses tell no tales) but that must have been grusome regardless of the reason why.


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## Kevin

I remember a story from the TV where a guy ran a woman through a chipper from a bridge and chipped her into the river down below.
I don`t know why, I guess she made him mad.


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## Jumper

*Rapelling re Black Hawk Down*

In my experience in rapelling from a Twin Huey, all we used was a Swiss Seat and a 5000 lb rated Stubai carabiner. You arrest your downward descent by your right hand. For training purposes, in the event you lose control there is a ground man safety to pull on the lines to stop you by friction. My mind is foggy-this was 1986. From personal experience, it is very important to belay smartly the first four or five feet to clear the skid on the chopper, otherwise your face or in my case left fist will smash into the skid. Fortunately this happened in dry run training off the tower. 

My climbing experience has been limited....but as I mentioned earlier I have a very healthy respect for heights after compressing the two lowest vertibrae and snapping my radial bone in half in 1999 in Zagreb Croatia-bad jump, things just happened and it was not really my fault.

Someone earlier here mentioned the value of hardhats-I really got beaned on the head last winter pulling snagged branches out of a large sugar maple that my boss was pruning-do not really know where it came from-he did not drop it- but it sent me flying. At the very least I would have had a very bad headache.


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## FBerkel

One second hand from back home:

Guy was removing a tree from a bucket, not tied in. Large log hits the boom, bends it down, and it rebounds back up, tossed him out like a catapult, and he fell to his death.


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## Kevin

Spring poles will get you real good too if you`re standing on the wrong side.
It`s always best to make a series of small cuts to relieve the tension.
These things will take the sleep out of your eyes real fast.


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## kf_tree

kevin it helps if you freeze the body first and use a 20 in chipper. it chips better that way and less clean up. or so i was told.


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## Bradley

Last year I responded to a "man stuck in a tree" call with my rescue squad. When we arrived I found a climber about 40' up a pine with about a 900-1000lb top hung in his lanyard. No climbing line, just a flat polestrap. This was his last pine to cut in a yard, had already taken down about 6. The tree forked and he'd bombed down the first stem of the fork. I don't know how it happened, as there was a pull line in the top, but when he cut the second stem, it came straight down in between him and the trunk and then twisted in his lanyard pulling him into the tree with all that weight hanging on him. He was not happy. It was hard listening to him scream at me to "cut the strap." He had been up there for at least 20 minutes, so I had to worry about compartment syndrome as well as him falling if I did cut the strap. I secured him to the tree with a choker and fashioned a chest strap and hasty seat harness to him because I didn't trust lowering him on his saddle because of the weight it had sustained. The whole time I was working off a ladder truck. Thank God it was in the front yard where we had access. I cut about 3/4 of the top off to lighten the load. I got out my knife to cut the strap and when I touched it with my blade it blew apart completely and the remaining wood fell to the ground. At this point he passed out and we lowered him to the ground with a standard lower and belay line. Had a few broken ribs and serious internal bruising, but recovered OK. If this had been in an area with no ladder truck access I don't know how we'd have gotten him down, as I have no tree gear on the squad. Time to get creative I guess.


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## kf_tree

sounds like you did a fine job on that rescue. congats on your skill and effort.
i once saw a similar thing but on a much smaller scale. the climber just stepped up into a crab apple and went to dump it. he just went to back cut it over and the tree slit as it tore over. the saw was bound in the cut and he was pinned to the tree. i was able to reach up with a 32 in bar and cut the wood free to release the preasure on his belt. he was fine, no harm no foul but we both learned something that day.


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## tree jockey

*Tim W. a thought to ponder*

An "old forest" climber once told me,
"There are old climbers
There are bold climbers but...
There are no old-bold climbers " !


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## Climb020

My first accident was minor but it was because I was new and lazy. I had been climbing but a month or 2 and just got up the first tree of the day. It was a double leader maple. I had made a few cuts then hung my pole saw about 8 feet above above me but the blade wasn't facing away from me. I went to swing inbetween the 2 crotches and my rope must have rocked the pole saw. It fell right down on my arm. I ended up getting 5 staples. Of course it was a brand new blade too. I got lucky, very very lucky. If it fell i sec sooner it would have got major veins/artiries near my elbow or a sec. later it would have slit my wrist. I have resolved this issue by never using a pole saw in the tree. Just about everyone I know has got cut by it.

Second minor accident happened from works walking into the drop zone without looking first. The chipper was running and I was up the tree about 40-50' up aa spruce tree. I was stripping the tree and as i cut a piece I notice some walk under where the branch would fall and yelled head ache. They didn't move or look up and the branch hit him right on top of his head. His hardhat saved him a hospital visit. He fell right down and didn't get up for a few minutes. Now I always wear a wistle, it can help save my life` as well as other workers and bystanders.


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## doggonetrees

Had a tree fall on me by a coworker that wasn't looking around his work area. we were both cutting at the same time. Luckily it was in a wet area. He had to cut me out. Cutting logs with my cousin, he had a widow maker fall out of a tree and he is now paralized from shoulders down. On the right of way crew, the driver set the truck up on a mat that was on top of a rotted stump. Whwn the trimmer swung around to trim on that side, the truck flipped over, with the boom holding the truck up. The trimmer recieved a broke arm when he jumped out of the bucket. Also, during trouble, a service man had a top flip back on the bucket off a three phase, breaking the upper boom and three of his ribs.


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## Rotax Robert

*Everett Washington Fatality*

EVERETT – A tree-topping project took a tragic turn Thursday when a Snohomish County woman was hit and killed by a falling section of tree. 

The woman died after a piece of the tree fell on her.
It happened in a green space along Puget Park Drive, just outside the woman's own backyard. 

Neighbors said crews with a tree service had been cutting down trees deemed dangerous. They were removing one of them section by section when a large piece fell hitting a 60-year-old woman standing below. 

"It's a fairly good-sized tree that they were working on, so that 18-inch section was felled from about a distance of it appears 30 to 40 feet, so that came down and struck her," said Rich Niebusch, Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. 

The woman was rushed to the hospital where she later died. 

Now deputies are trying to determine why she was standing at the base of the tree. 

Employees with the tree service said they were surprised when the woman walked out her door wearing no coat and no shoes. They say she then walked up some stairs to the base of the tree. 

Workers told deputies they were yelling for the woman to back away. 

"Apparently she was warned that work was going on, this is according to witnesses but we're investigating that at this time," said Niebusch. 

Neighbor Sarah Moss said the victim had just lost her husband unexpectedly a few months ago. 

Deputies do not anticipate that anyone will be cited for the accident, but they are still investigating. 

Rotax Robert


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