Leg nearly severed by a stump grinder

[Tree Machine]

We all start somewhere

We all start somewhere. Here's a couple rare pics of my early day, taken by clients and forwarded back to me.

The first one is my first experience renting a chipper. It was a Bandit 250XP. I rented a big chipper because I had some exceedingly big trees that day. For some really stupid reason I thought I could just chip into the trailer.

The second shot was after a year of renting all different sizes of chippers to decide what would work best for me. This was my first week with my own brand new customized 6" Bandit. I had no box truck and would chip into trash cans and spread the chips wherever. Worked great if the job was small.

#3 is my earliest version of my tree truck, a wooden prototype that was unloaded manually.

#4 is the next version, made of steel (still my current system) with a roller bed floor and a retractable belt. The chips are removed using a boat-type winch to pull the belt and chips out. the belt gets put back in by hand.

#5 is the tool stowage on the same steel system. The next one will be of aluminum with all the bells and whistles that I dream of, fully powered conveyor floor to expell chips, lighting system in the tool area and a few other cool amenities. 13 years to get up to an advanced beginner system. The (next) aluminum version of the tree truck will be an expert version of a beginner system.

 

[CoreyTMorine]

Tree, how deep is your side box? I'm still in process of putting a truck together. i'm going to put an ipac behind the cab, but i think i can also include a workshop like yours in the dump body. the, get out of the rain while sharpening my saw trick, would be a great one to have. I'm thinking 5' high (that will match the side of the body) 3 or 4' long, and 14" deep. smaller than your setup, but I should have plenty of storage space in the i pac.

What are you going to do differently on your next setup?Actually I'm going to go down to large eqipment and start a topic there re: truck setup, there is only one other that iv'e found, the thread with your truck and 5 or 6 others. maybe i can get afew more.

Thanks for your time.

PS yeah, that is the coolest truck i've ever seen.

PPS Ive heard that when you take an extended time away from a physical activety and then come back to it, you will be better at the activety. The example i read was a rock climber guy who was in a motorcycle wreck and couldn't climb for a year or so. When he finally got back into it, and reconditioned himself, he surpased many of his old climbing records. I think i read it in the book "performance rock climbing" by dale goddard and udo neuman.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Cool truck, TM.

 

[pantheraba]

Cool truck, TM.

Roger that...superbly organized. Looks well thought out.

 

[Pilsnaman]

having only worked for a larger company with hydraulic bed dumps and International trucks this side of tree work is new to me. I don't know if it is because of the area I live in but all the companies around here are much the same, with large dump style trucks. I have never seen the conveyor style system before either but bet it works well, don't have to worry about power lines overhead when raising the bed up to dump. For small side jobs I have been trying to figure out how to unload my truck after chipping into it. When you would pull the rubber out of the truck what type of connection did you have on the rubber so it didn't just rip, chips are not light. Hope you keep on the up and up, a couple of beers should take care of the pain befor going to bed on rain days.

 

[Tree Machine]

I don't know if it is because of the area I live in but all the companies around here are much the same, with large dump style trucks.

I think that's kinda the status quo of the industry, generally speaking.

I have never seen the conveyor style system before either but bet it works well

It works exceedingly well. I'm not claiming inventive rights because conveyors have been around for a long, long time. I've never seen one on a tree truck either, and after much searching I just had to bite the bullet and design and create it myself. I love the system, and am curently upgrading to a fully-powered, continuous belt system which will allow me to expel the chips with the push of a button, either from up in the cab or from standing at the back of the truck. Chip dumping nirvana. Also, whenever i get another pickup, I unbolt the entire system (6 bolts), hoist it up, pull the old truck out, pull the neew truck under, lower the ststem, bolt it on and go to work. This was deliberate in the design so a new user could mount it on his pickup and go to work in under an hour.

don't have to worry about power lines overhead when raising the bed up to dump.

Nor are hydraulics involved, hydrauic pumps, motors, tanks, oil, cylinders, and all the power requirements, frame structure requirements and costs. In that conventional big truck dump system, you deposit a mountain of chips. Since I try to offer my chips locally, I needed the versatility of putting down chips only as much as needed, wherever they were needed. Big trucks are limited to where they can go a lot of times. The system I use is on a flatbed pickup, so it can go wherever a pickup truck can go. There are dump systems for regular pickup beds, but it occupies the whole bed and then you have no place to put your tools except up in the cab; not a good, organized system.

For small side jobs I have been trying to figure out how to unload my truck after chipping into it. When you would pull the rubber out of the truck what type of connection did you have on the rubber so it didn't just rip, chips are not light.

A strip of plywood on the underside of the rubber belt. The pull strap goes through a slice in the rubber, under the plywood strip, back up through another slice, over top of the belt/plywood and is affixed through both the rubber and into the wood with a half-dozen screws and washers.This is all positioned at the far front of the dump box. A hand winch pulls the 'floor' over top a series of rollers.

In my first 'wooden prototype' I would lay down a tarp, chip onto it a small amount. Stop, spread the chips evenly, but deeper toward the back. Lay another tarp over that and do the same with a little more quantity, again deeper toward the back. By the third tarp, you are chipping into a downhill slope (this is key). You can really put down quite a bit now because as you see, when it comes time to dump, you pull a whole tarpload off and it slides down the hill of a previous layer. The very first layer is the lightest. The very final layer is the heaviest. It takes time to stop, spread, layer, etc, but at the end of a long day when it's time to dump, it goes swift. This is a primitive method, and you'll get tired of it, but it does work. use a square of plywood on the fresh tarp layer to keep from blowing holes in the tarp. Stop and pull it out before it gets too buried.

This is all really off-topic, but I have a series of photos and a more detailed description to better describe the system at treeguy.info, here; http://treeguy.info/articlebody.php?section_id=4&article_id=17

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

This might work.

http://www.unloadapickup.com/unload/

 

[canguy21]

I just read this thread for the first time and felt my gut lurch. We sell and service stump grinders and I have a healthy respect for them but accidents can and do happen. TM, what impresses me most though is your ongoing positive attitude and willingness to share so that others may learn. That is probably the most important part of the healing process. I wish you all the best and I hope you really enjoy your Thanksgiving today. You have a lot to be thankful for

 

[Safety Checker]

Tree Machine,

New here and just read this. I wish you best in your return to full health. I have been doing some research and found an item that seems to be your situation dead-on. I would encourage you to at the least report the incident to the manufacturer as someone previously suggested. Sometimes, though, claims and lawsuits are the only method to have businesses change their focus to not just profit but safety as well. I don't understand why some grinders would have deadman's safety stop and others shouldn't.

Again, best of luck with your recovery. Keep up the good karma.


Products Liability: Industrial Saw 575,000 Settlement: Leg Degloving Personal Injury Verdict Reviews November 26, 2002


Copyright 2002 LRP Publications
Personal Injury Verdict Reviews

November 26, 2002

SECTION: Vol. 10, No. 22

LENGTH: 385 words

HEADLINE: Products Liability: Industrial Saw 575,000 Settlement: Leg Degloving

BODY:
A 63-year-old male suffered an avulsion injury to his right leg, requiring skin grafting, and a fracture to his right wrist when he walked backward into the spinning blade of a front cutter stump grinder, manufactured by the codefendant and sold and distributed by the defendant, while raking wood chips and mulch with a coworker. The plaintiff contended that the grinder was not equipped with safety devices or a clutch to stop the blade from spinning while it was set on its handle, and that the spinning blade presented a danger when a user came into contact with it unintentionally. The plaintiff also contended that the defendants failed to remedy the defect knowing of similar accidents, which occurred in the past and that the defendants failed to recall the equipment to add safety devices. The plaintiff further contended that the grinder did not contain adequate written warnings or diagrams for non-English-speaking users and that the product was unsafe for its intended purpose. The defendants denied liability and contended that the plaintiff and coworker negligently failed to inactivate the grinder before setting it on its handle. The defendant further contended that the plaintiff was warned to be cautious of the spinning blade and that the coworker negligently placed the grinder in the area close to where the plaintiff was working.

Jimenez v. Promark Products Inc.; Ariens Co. and Direct Edge Inc. (Superior YC011181)

State/County: CA/Los Angeles. Plaintiff Attorney: Edward Steinbrecher, Steinbrecher & Associates, Encino, CA. Defense Attorneys: James H. Fritz, Sims & Cozad, Newport Beach, CA; Jerome D. Rybarczyk, Sims & Cozad, Newport Beach, CA; Thelma J. Cebula, Johnson, Cebula & Rygh, Long Beach, CA. Medical Witness(es) for the Plaintiff-Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: James Watson, M.D., Torrance, CA. Non-medical Witness(es) for the Plaintiff-Mechanical Engineer: John B. Sevart III, P.E., Wichita, KS. Medical Witness(es) for the Defense-Orthopedic Surgeon: James London, M.D., San Pedro, CA. Non-medical Witness(es) for the Defense-Biomechanical Engineer: Mark Gomez, Ph.D., San Diego, CA. Mechanical Engineer: Hugh Grow, NC. Settlement: 575,000. Compensatory Damages: 575,000. Past Medical Claimed: 306,000. Settlement Date: July 2001. JV Number: 400004.

LOAD-DATE: November 26, 2002

 

[stihlatit]

Hey Tree Machine all my best brother and hope you recover well. I have just looked at most of this thread over the past two days and can only say holy ???? what a mess of your leg. As I say hope you are or will soon be fully recovered and it seems that a lot of good things are being gained by your accident. Take care andgood luck.

Arnie

 

[logbutcher]

Physical Therapists need to be Brutes

Hey TM, glad you made it thru to therapy. You've got cojones :censored: to give us insight into what went wrong. Guts--hoo rah.
Got a came close last month using one of those self-propelled DR Brush Cutters. Stupid me: NO PPE , AND, didn't shut the blade down crossing over a stump. The chunk hit me over the eye, knocked me out, and blinded me for a time.
BUT: what's a "JOHNSON" ????? We don't have those Downeast :bang: No "JOHNSON" nearby.
You take care TM.

 

[infomet]

A johnson is a willy, same as a unit or a tool, sort of like a John Thomas.

TM, good job on your recovery and the good website.
I don't think I've ever seen so many things interesting in one place!

I don't know if anyone else said it, but walking backward is obviously a no no.
I even teach my kids and grandkids this. My experience is nothing as long as yours, but I do have 15 years in oil rig fab yards and offshore construction/production environments, as well as about 40 cutting my own firewood and messing about houses and yards. The son next door and I have about 7-8 saws between us, four tractors, and a big splitter. We involve the kids (4) in all phases of yard work and will be starting the 13 yr old on saws this winter. Basic lessons are look what you are doing and where you are going. And of course don't walk up behind someone with a saw! It is a problem to keep the women quiet sometimes though. They have a very low fear threshold!

My worst day was when a 16' flatbed got loose because I forgot to lock the hitch while moving it across the yard. It went about 75 feet before fiinding a tree. That wasn't so bad, but along the way it passed within a few feet of a 3 yr old grandaughter! That focused my attention very effectively!

I also never crank a tractor I'm not sitting on...guy across the street was caught by his and dragged under the box blade. Wife stepped out to call him to lunch and found him under the blade and the redbelly up against a tree. Bad deal! Already gone and blue.

Keep up the recovery!

 

[Tree Machine]

Thank you, Wilson.

Time really moves on. It has been about one year to the day that I went back to work, after 7 months of recovery and rehab. I'd really felt the need to let Arboristsite members know the outcome of this injury, and how I'm doing, so today is the day.

First, I'd just like to thank everyone for their support during that critical time. It really, really meant a lot to me and although the goal of starting this thread was not to seek compassion or sympathy, a lot of that came my way, in many forms, and for that I am truly greatful. The goal was to heighten awareness of safety, showing that something as benign as power blowing chips on a front lawn, wearing full safety attire, you can still get killed or maimed.

As far as my leg, I have two fairly horrific scars; the backside where the chipper wheel scooped out a hunk of calf muscle, and the frontside where the broken tibia and fibula came ripping through. Emotionally, there is the never-to-be-forgotten vision of the nearly severed leg lying there beside me, the white of the bones, the raw, exposed muscle, shredded flaps of skin and tendon barely holding it all together.

By some virtual miracle, though, I walk normally today with no prosthetics, just a heel lift in my right boot because my right leg is a few cm shorter than the left. I have a stainless steel rod inside the bone, from my knee down to my ankle. I climb with no noticable limitations. I have no residual pain, other than the screws affixing the steel rod to my ankle are just beneath the skin on my ankle and new boots put pressure on that site for a few days, but eventually I get used to that. The rectangular site on my thigh, from where they took the skin graft, is different in color than the surrounding skin. In short, I am one very lucky dude with no real complaints to speak of.

The only lingering effect is when I wear shorts in public, like on vacation, that people behind me notice. I can hear them talk, especially children. It's hard not to notice. I just take this as a reminder of just how fortunate I am to be walking at all.

As far as Larry, the stump guy, he has never contacted me in any way. No lawsuit was ever considered toward him, toward the owner of the stump grinder or Vermeer. The fault was my own for not paying full attention to all things around me.

The total medical costs were about $90,000, but I was properly insured and took on a $5,000 deductible. I had disability insurance, which offered me 1/4 my monthly income, per month, beginning 3 months after the date of the accident until I went back to work. Past apprentices stepped in to do treework, kicking me back a fair commission. Team Tree came in to town once I could limp around and their crew did a large day job as I supervised and grilled chicken for them on site for lunch. Even my physical therapist hired me for tree work at his house, checking out my footlocking ability on my first climb, post-accident.

As far as the recovery phase, I remain in awe of peoples' kindness, concern and generosity. What could have been physical and financial devastation played out as a recoverable setback. I learned that insurance is very important, but almost more so is living your life well, respecting and treating others with kindness as these things have a way of coming back around and serving you in unimaginable ways.



I've attached a couple pictures of how things look as of this morning. As you can see, ugly, but functional.

I will ask a moderator to close this thread. The accident is in the past and the thread had its moment up front. Before I close, I again want to thank every one of you for your concern, and for taking a more consistant and constant look at your approach to jobsite safety. It only takes a fraction of a second to change everything, and not everyone walks away.

 

[Dadatwins]

Thanks for the update TM, it is good to hear about your recovery, the body truly is an amazing machine. With the proper mindset anything is possible. Told you way back in the begining of the thread you will be back and here you are. Not exactly the same, but back. A valuable lesson learned and taught to all that have read the thread. Thanks.

 

[Tree Machine]

You did call that one, Dada. God bless you.

 

[Chucky]

Heck, I could have toldja that, Dadatwins. After all, TreeMachine is ... a MACHINE!

 

[turnkey4099]

Very glad to hear of the full recovery. At the beginning I thought you would never climb again.

Harry K

 

[Tree Machine]

Heck, I could have toldja that, Dadatwins. After all, TreeMachine is ... a MACHINE!

D'awwwww.... shucks.

At the beginning I thought you would never climb again.

At the beginning I thought I was gonna die on someone's front lawn. Once I got past that phase, walking and climbing were the big concerns.

It's great knowing you are back in the trees.

I hope the trees feel the same way.

It was great of you to share your story but you shouldn't have to relive it every time someone finds this thread.

Given that I don't have to relive it from a wheelchair or a coffin, I think it's a healthy thing. I tend to pull out the positives in any experience, this one being no different.

Here's one positive I'd like to share with you all. Beyond about the second day, I went through the days with no spite, no anger, no vengeful thoughts, no real negative emotions. I saw the positives and I looked for and counted the blessings. Maybe this was easier knowing how close I was to being turned into a pile of hamburger, but in the same light I could have been dark and mad and planning how to 'get back' at whomever. The point I'm trying to make is, attitude is a choice. It's a decision you take on. It is yours to make, and those choices have downstream repercussions in how your life plays out, how you subsequently treat other people and how the world looks at you.

Of course, we all know this deep-down, but sometimes we fail to connect our surface behaviors with our deeper knowledge.

I'm not here to preach, but I learned the power of forgiveness and it's healing qualities, the liberation it gives to others and the freedom it brings to you. My first day, post-surgery, was filled with 'Why didn't he..., how could he have...., what was he thinking....?' but my beautiful wife reminded me that yesterday is over. There's no going back, there's no changing it. There is only the present moment in which we make choices and the future that is shaped by them; that an emotional 'shift' is a conscious decision and going from mad to glad is a personal choice and it can happen in a flash. That power is within each of us.

Ok, now get back to work.

 

[DadF]

I finally got to meet Jim at our ISA meeting the beginning of Feb. Just to let you know that he is doing well and had a smile on his face before I ever introduced myself. He showed me his leg and even after ten years of being an EMT a while back it still gave me the shivers to see it all healed up.
Been awhile since I've been on here but that doesn't mean I haven't been watching.

 

[Tree Machine]

Always a nice surprise to meet AS members in person. Thanks for finding me, DadF. It was my very first ISA meeting. Came home a week early from vacation to be able to attend. I only knew one person there, two after meeting you and about a dozen by the end of the week. Much pressuring from Treeseer to get outside my tiny little world and socialize a bit. He a very smart man.