# Chainsaw fatality



## turnkey4099 (Jun 21, 2006)

Just heard on the late news. Not much detail. Should be more in the morning paper.

Man died after cutting himself on the inner thigh. It was in Northern Idaho and report says that family was trying to aid him, CPR, etc when aid arrived, pronounced dead at scene. From the "family helping" I assume it was a wood cutting expedition. A cut on inner thigh and fatal says femoral artery to me.

Harry K


----------



## CoreyTMorine (Jun 21, 2006)

How do you cut yourself on the inner thigh?


----------



## turnkey4099 (Jun 21, 2006)

Wasn't much detail in the newspaper, following is the article with only a few minor edits. It happened in Washington, not Idaho. That is an odd place for a cut but becomes more possible the smaller the saw.

Spokesman Review, Spokane Wa 062106

MAN DIES AFTER CHAIN SAW ACCIDENT

A Pend Oreille Co man died Tues day after he cut his leg with a chain saw.
Sheriff's Sgt Sirevog said Randall S. Howland, 46, of Horseshoe Lake Road in the Deer Park (Wa)area suffered a severe cut to the inside of his left thigh, just above the knee. 
Family members administered first aid while waiting for emergency workers to arrive but a Deer Park Ambulance crew was unable to revive Howland. The accident occurred shortly before 5 p.m.,.

Harry K


----------



## BlueRidgeMark (Jun 21, 2006)

Picture this:

Upcutting through a limb, left leg on the log, holding it down. Could happen.

Sad - sounds like the family might have been doing CPR when they should have been doing tourniquet.


----------



## 1I'dJak (Jun 21, 2006)

i've been using saw now for awhile and been around em at work...its amazing when and how one can cut oneself...back of hand, forearm, calf, nose, thigh... thigh ... could be from walking with the saw especially if she's a bit of a runner...seen it almost been there myself..,
word


----------



## pantheraba (Jun 22, 2006)

CoreyTMorine said:


> How do you cut yourself on the inner thigh?



I have seen lots of folks that walk and rev the engine at the same time..it would only take a stumble to cut a thigh.

When the chain is moving I stay still...when I move the chain stays still...chain brake.

Sad story...a lot of heartache in that family tonight.


----------



## Ekka (Jun 23, 2006)

Sad news.

You are spot on BlueRidgeBloke, my moneys on that incident.

What a crappy way to go.  poor bugger.


----------



## sawn_penn (Jun 24, 2006)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Picture this:
> 
> Upcutting through a limb, left leg on the log, holding it down. Could happen.
> 
> Sad - sounds like the family might have been doing CPR when they should have been doing tourniquet.



Sad news. A distant relative managed the same cut and same result. 

Controlling the bleeding is the priority. A big bleed + cardiac arrest is 100% fatal. 99% fatal if it happens on an operating table, 100% fatal otherwise.

Sometimes CPR is done in cases like this because people don't know it's futile. Sometimes CPR is done because people know it's futile but they think it will make the bystanders feel better.


----------



## Wood Monger (Jul 20, 2006)

*Same thing happened to me*

I was cutting off a stump with my o66. As the saw broke through the far side of the stump it thru its chain. Chain swung around and hit me in the inner right thigh. My safety pants saved me. Cut the pants and bruised my thigh but I was uncut. It saw also the first day I wore those safety pants. They paid for them-self that day. Now I always wear them no matter how hot it is.


----------



## 046 (Jul 21, 2006)

a good wakeup call to faithfully wear your chaps!


----------



## thesawisfamily (Aug 17, 2006)

*Control the bleeding*

I wasn't there, but whenever arterial flow is indicated pressure points are one of the best ways to control bleeding short of a tourniquet or having a hemostat handy. In the case of the inner thigh wound pressure in the groin area might have slowed the flow enough to buy the guy some time.

Seconds count and I do realize how much easier to talk about what you might have done when it happened in fact to someone else.


----------

