# fell out of tree



## tzelmet (Mar 11, 2007)

I fell 10 feet on a descent from a white pine when my rope creeped out of the crotch and the limb broke. I was lucky! and no broken bones. My wrist was severely strained and is just now almost fully recovered. I was alone when I fell. My crew of seven men were in the front yard of the jobsite. Despite the pain and my state of mind, I decided to abruptly climb another tree. Jump right back on the horse so to speak. I managed to finish the climb and prune a few limbs. 
The pain of physical therapy is something I wish on no-one.
Of course it has changed me forever.
I am a professional climber and I know that despite our best efforts, things go wrong. I am only posting this as another testament to safety.

The most important things I learned from this are:
1. I had no time to react. I remember feeling the drop and next thing I know I'm on the ground.
2. I've been around and been hit by some pretty big things and guys, but never have I been hit as hard as when I hit the ground.
3.Ever since, I don't take chances on my tie in. If there is any doubt in my mind as to the strength or integrity of the limb, I find another crotch and Now, always around the main trunk.

Another note on safety, We were doing a really big takedown last thursday and as we were bucking the trunk on the ground we started hearing a cracking noise from somewhere above. Hard to hear over a chainsaw. Fortunately, we were some distance from the widow maker that came down. It was a large limb however and could have been lethal. It was at least 30 minutes or more after felling the trunk before this limb fell. Anyway, my point is be ready for anything and always remain alert.


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## beowulf343 (Mar 11, 2007)

tzelmet said:


> 3.Ever since, I don't take chances on my tie in. If there is any doubt in my mind as to the strength or integrity of the limb, I find another crotch and Now, always around the main trunk.



That is my biggest safety issue with most of the "new" climbers i see these days. They just tie in over a branch and think it's good enough. And 99.9% of the time, it is enough. But there is always that chance that the limb will break and you will be sol. I get picked on alot, but i always tie in around the trunk. Haven't taken a fall yet, fortunately. 

Glad you're ok tzelmet-knew a guy who fell 10 feet out of a tree and is now paralyzed from the waist down.


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## Blinky (Mar 12, 2007)

I know the physical therapy is rough. My ex-wife is a PT (Physical Terrorist)... she is merciless; the words 'range of motion' strike fear in my heart to this day.

I've been fortunate in that the two times (that I remember) that I tied in around a limb rather than the trunk, there was someone there with experience to tell me what I was doing wrong. I still have to tie into some pretty small crotches, but always around the main lead so that even if a branch were to fail, my rope catches the next crotch down.

Thanks for posting this... good luck, speedy recovery.


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## BoesTreeService (Mar 12, 2007)

I am confused about the limb coming down when you were bucking the trunk. If the trunk is on the ground what was the limb attached to?? I am assuming the limb was from another tree. So please furnish more information, such as why the limb fell.


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## tzelmet (Mar 12, 2007)

*widow maker*

The tree that we were removing was in a clump of trees on a very steep hill overlooking a log home. I was asked to jump cut some pretty large limbs into the forest below. If it had been up to me, I would have roped some of the limbs down, but that takes time and my boss is a time oriented being, not a tree lover. Anyway, one of the limbs on the way down broke a large limb in one of the trees below it. After some time, about 30 minutes the weight of the limb was too much and it finally released becoming a widow maker. It is very likely that had we not been on such a hill, that someone could have been in the path of the widow maker. Incidentally, and I'm not proud of it, we did a lot of damage to the smaller trees below that lost many limbs as collateral damage. That is a whole different topic that I could rant about for hours so I'll stop here. Thanks for the comment!


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## maxburton (Mar 12, 2007)

I have heard too many stories of ropes creeping out to ever tie in that way. It scares me!

Widowmakers are one of the many reasons we keep our hardhats on till the job is over.


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## Blinky (Mar 12, 2007)

talking about widowmakers, my very first experience with a chainsaw was cutting a windthrown oak off of my driveway after a hurricane... I'd bought the saw that AM and I was utterly clueless. It was snapped about 25' up with a large section of trunk tipped onto the driveway and only staying up because it was supported on a couple of large branches. When I cut one of them it broke free... but I didn't hear it because of my helmet and the running saw. It missed me by about two feet, 20" in diameter and about 20' long, no exageration. I realized I was mortal that day.




tzelmet said:


> ... That is a whole different topic that I could rant about for hours so I'll stop here. Thanks for the comment!



Aaahhh, go ahead and rant. People who can't estimate are always in a hurry and probably cause more safety problems than anybody else in tree work. Pisses me off that anyone would rush a climber in a tree with a saw.


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## tzelmet (Mar 13, 2007)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the comment I was beginning to feel like I was wrong. Safety?, Second lanyard?, Two handing a saw? What are these things?
PPE is an anacronym some guys don't know yet. They will learn it, probably later than sooner, but they will.


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## begleytree (Mar 13, 2007)

I'm glad you are OK, and that you know what caused it and took steps to prevent it happening again.

stay safe, as always
-Ralph


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## Thetreewisemen (Mar 14, 2007)

I had a bone chip removed from my right elbow socket last year, evidently it had broken off from 'somewhere' in my arm over the years of arb work and then settled in the socket......wondered why the range of motion in that arm was slowly decreasing over the last few years! So I know all about physical therapy


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## Thetreewisemen (Mar 14, 2007)

Aaahhh, go ahead and rant. People who can't estimate are always in a hurry and probably cause more safety problems than anybody else in tree work. Pisses me off that anyone would rush a climber in a tree with a saw.[/QUOTE]

I AGREE!!!


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## woodchux (Mar 14, 2007)

I took down a large co dominate lobloly pine last year. I was tied off in the taller lead and i topped out about 40 foot off the shorter side. I watched the top hit the ground, the groundman started his work and all of a sudden .... WHAM a widow maker bashes me in the back of the head and neck. I saw stars for a minute. Thank god for the hard hat. Wear one, it could save your life one day.


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## treeseer (Mar 15, 2007)

Waht happened to the pine stem where the limb tore out?


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