Close Calls?

[tree md]

I was reading the worse injury thread last night and got to thinking about some of the really close calls I have had. I have been hurt on the job a couple of times, once seriously, but I have had some close one's that could have turned out much worse.

Had any REALLY close calls?

I haven't had too many but a couple big ones come to mind:

The first big tree I ever worked in was a Humongous Beech. It was prolly 36" 40 feet up. Not sure at breast height but I'd say over 4'. Anyway, the guy I worked for went up and brushed the tree out and set the rigging line. He then yelled down for me to get geared up. I had done a few removals and had my friction hitch and running bowline down but I had never worked in a tree that size up to that point. I got geared up and the guy told me to go up, tie a running bowline on the limb logs and swing them off with the bull rope. The limb logs were like 10-12' long and 2' diameter at the butts where I was cutting them. Instead of making a cut that would swing the log into the rigging line direction I cut straight through the log from top to bottom, it fell straight down and the bull rope landed on the end of the stub. I got rid of the saw and leaned out on the limb and pushed it with everything I had to keep it from swinging back on me. My heart was pumping like a race horse and I thought I was for sure a goner. God was on my side though and I managed to push the log in the right direction, the bull rope dropped off of the stub and the limb swung the way it was supposed to, just like I had planned it that way. Man, I learned big time on that first big tree.

Another time we were finishing up a crane job where all I had to do was ride the ball up, choke the tree, come down and cut it at the stump. We had the chipper backed up to the crane where we could cut the tree in one fell swoop, lower it and chip the whole tree. We did that no problem and myself and the owner were standing on either side of the chipper as the last of the tree fed and the guy running the crane was snugging the ball up to the chain that secured it on the back of the truck. The chain that the ball was hooked to broke and the ball swung out between myself and the owner's heads as we were standing there at the chipper. We were looking at each other when it came past us at eyeball level about a foot from either of us. We just shook our heads ad smiled at each other and never said a word about it.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Sounds like alot of typing- think I will just read.
Jeff
Is this the right thread to post this?

 

[clearance]

My kot slipped because I didn't tie it right, I came down fast, not as fast as free fall, but real fast, about 60'. I landed on my back, on top of an old blowdown. A big branch almost speared me. It when though my shirt on both sides, took of some skin and came out beside my chest.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

I was pruning a white pine early on in my climbing career. Free climbing to the top in the snow just like my foreman did. I slipped about 25' up and the branch I was holding broke. I hit a branch with my forehead did one full flip and landed on my back in the snow. I dislocated my shoulder and banged up my forehead. Ive never free climbed since. Lucky for me I didn't land on my head and I landed flat on my back in some snow. Lucky.... that was about 5 years ago..... climb safe. Mike

 

[tree md]

There was also the time that my rope hand had a snafu with the rope and didn't let a large chunk of spar run that I had tip tied. It was this size and coming right for me:

Had to jump around the back side of the tree and duck. Ever had one of those not so fresh feelings?

Also had another ground guy let about a 600 pound chunk swing back and hit me. No ducking that one!

 

[pdqdl]

I told my climber once to tie of a big chunk of cottonwood and cut it loose. He thought it was too much log. We were using a 3/4" braid rope of unknown origin and strength.

When that huge log came down, the bullrope was only strong enough to pull the falling section into a vertical position before it snapped, slamming into the ground right beside the house.

That log would have destroyed the tiny house beside it.

 

[clearance]

My kot slipped because I didn't tie it right, I came down fast, not as fast as free fall, but real fast, about 60'. I landed on my back, on top of an old blowdown. A big branch almost speared me. It when though my shirt on both sides, took of some skin and came out beside my chest.

More to the story, my groundsman saw it, we were way out in the bush, anyways, he was on the opposite side of the branch. From where he was, it looked like the branch was stuck right through me. His eyes were wide, I was cursing and trying to get up.
He was like "stay still, don't move" I got up, with the branch on me, stuck through my shirt. He was freaking at this point, I pulled the branch out and threw it down, and started to laugh. I was so lucky.

 

[Ellistrees]

To many close calls

Guess I'm really blessed from God cause haven't been seriously hurt or any damaged.

Did have one large limb that I didn't get tied right from being distracted. When cut shot down and landed down between house and truck.

Another time, droped a 8" limb and it swung around and bounced off my forearm. That was sore for little while.

 

[jefflovstrom]

There was also the time that my rope hand had a snafu with the rope and didn't let a large chunk of spar run that I had tip tied. It was this size and coming right for me:

Had to jump around the back side of the tree and duck. Ever had one of those not so fresh feelings?

Also had another ground guy let about a 600 pound chunk swing back and hit me. No ducking that one!

Yeah, sounds dramatic. Is that a different tree in back of that, looks like it was hit, or part of the same tree? Loo ks like a lot of rip cuts and bombing and taking pics and bragging how scared you were. I should smile when I say that,
Jeff
here's my smile

 

[tree md]

Yeah, sounds dramatic. Is that a different tree in back of that, looks like it was hit, or part of the same tree? Loo ks like a lot of rip cuts and bombing and taking pics and bragging how scared you were. I should smile when I say that,
Jeff
here's my smile

Yeah, same tree. And that is where it hit the tree while I was ducking on the back side.

Couldn't bomb it because there were septic laterals under the tree and the house was under it on the other side.

LOL, pretty dramatic sounding I guess. Me brag???? Never!

Now this would be bragging:

 

[tree md]

More to the story, my groundsman saw it, we were way out in the bush, anyways, he was on the opposite side of the branch. From where he was, it looked like the branch was stuck right through me. His eyes were wide, I was cursing and trying to get up.
He was like "stay still, don't move" I got up, with the branch on me, stuck through my shirt. He was freaking at this point, I pulled the branch out and threw it down, and started to laugh. I was so lucky.

LMAO! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[beastmaster]

All the close calls we've all had were lucky to be alive. I have had my share, but the only one to get me was when I was on a falling crew during the 86 fire season in northern calif. It was around midnight, and an inversion lair had locked all the smoke in plus the fog made visibility about 25 ft. We were spaced out along a logging road keeping an eye on things. The fire had laid down for the night but everything had an erie glow from the embers. There were 140ft trees here and there with just the bases burt, 6ft dbh trees that look like a beaver had been chewing on them. They were defying gravity. Every once in a while one would fall over somewhere and you could hear it for miles crashing down. I heard one close by going over and started running with my saw. That one must of hit another one knocking it over, I couldn't see but it sounded like a giant chasing me. Dropping my saw and blindly running for my life, I guess I ran under it. It came so close it brushed my back and the impact sent me flying. It took 6 hours to get me to a hospital. I lucked out. I had a dislocated shoulder, broken shoulder blade and a fractured collarbone. Still today I don't have full mobility in my shoulder. I throw a ball like a girl.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The chain that the ball was hooked to broke and the ball swung out between myself and the owner's heads as we were standing there at the chipper. We were looking at each other when it came past us at eyeball level about a foot from either of us. We just shook our heads ad smiled at each other and never said a word about it.

Made me think of Jerry B. getting his foot crushed under a crane outrigger. With the worksite noise the OE could not hear him scream.

ME...I've caught myself starting to cut out my TIP spar on two or three occasions in the past 20+ years. My habit of looking up as I make the cut is what has saved me every time. The last (posted here shortly after I did it) I was actually making the back cut

 

[Jimmychips]

Check this out:

About 5 years ago, I was called to remove a storm damaged White Oak. The tree had co-dominant leaders, with the crotch at about 30'. One of the leaders broke at the crotch and layed over on the ground. The butt of the leader remained attached at the crotch. I was on the ground, about 25' from the tree, carefully cutting away the ends of the leader, while the butt was still attached at 30'.

All of a sudden I noticed the whole piece starting to twist. The piece became detatched from the crotch and started to fall strait down. I did my best to get out of the way, but couldn't.

The piece I was working on (the falling piece) was probably 40' long. It fell to the ground, hitting a huge boulder. The end I was near shot up in the air, tagging me in the nuts! I got shot through the air backwards, did a back flip and landed in the brush. My ground guys got me out of there, to the hospital. They had to shoot me with morphine in order to push my right nut back down where it belongs.

Picture straddling a see-saw, and someone dropping a Volkswagon on the other end. I saw it happening, but couldn't get out of the way fast enough.

Had a massive bruise on my right leg and sore nuts, but I'm good to go. The Husky chainsaw pants I wear everyday probably prevented the end of the limb from tearing through my thigh.

We went back the next day and measured my launch: 16' of distance from being blasted in the nuts!

We now use chainsaw-on-a-stick for most storm damaged trees, allowing the cutter to be in a much safer position while cutting.

Moral of the story: be super careful with storm damage and watch your nuts.

 

[tomtrees58]

easy removal look like the tree was topped before tom trees

 

[gwiley]

Not quite a tree related close call, but close enough (it involved my wanna-be skidder).

I was clearing snow and my wife was out watching (she always enjoys seeing heavy equipment operated). I hollered over the sound of the diesel to get her to move back, she started to move and I put my focus back on my work. I did a top speed pivot in place on the skid steer to swing the plow around and saw her standing in the path of the blade about the same time it brushed the sleeve of her jacket! If she had been a few inches close that would have been a really bad event.

That left me shaking in my seat for the next hour - huge adrenaline rush. I love her way too much to be able to cope with smashing her with my tractor.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

Check this out:

(snip)

Moral of the story: be super careful with storm damage and watch your nuts.

You now sing soprano, though, right? :greenchainsaw:

 

[Jimmychips]

No way- I'm good. However, right after the hit I didn't want to look, so I dropped my drawers and made one of my guys take a look: "look's like everything is still there"

 

[tree md]

Yeah Tom, not too tough of a removal. The top was already gone, it had been blown out in an ice storm. The take down was fairly easy. However, this is what made it a little sketchy:

 

[tree md]

Jimmychips, that's a crazy story!

I saw the guy I used to work for cut a Tulip Poplar that had been layed over in a storm with the top hung up in another tree. It was a huge Poplar, prolly 100'. While he was cutting the butt end it would pop and he would jump back out of the way. When it finally let go he had no time to jump out of the way. It hit him in the chest, knocking him on his ass then drove his foot into the ground. He was lucky he got away with just a bruised foot. Trees under tension are dangerous. Most people do not realize how fast something bad can happen with them. No time to react.