There goes my safety record

[John Paul Sanborn]

Dave is OK, we worked two more days after that, and we just talked this AM about this thread. (He liked most of it except for one sentence)

Aside from an occasional episode of goosebumps, I'm doing fine too. I was surprised that there have been no nightmares though.

Another thing I should mention is Dave's owning the incident, telling me not to worry. A lesser man would have put it all on me, maybe even called a lawyer. I'll leave it to him to tell what he said of himself.

 

[PinnaclePete]

Glad to hear Slayer is still intact, mostly. PPE is the LAST line of defense. Don't let your guard down, thats when the S#@! happens. JPS, don't let it bury you with guilt, live and learn to live and learn some more. The best to both of ya.

 

[treemandan]

Dave is OK, we worked two more days after that, and we just talked this AM about this thread. (He liked most of it except for one sentence)

Aside from an occasional episode of goosebumps, I'm doing fine too. I was surprised that there have been no nightmares though.

Another thing I should mention is Dave's owning the incident, telling me not to worry. A lesser man would have put it all on me, maybe even called a lawyer. I'll leave it to him to tell what he said of himself.

Got it.

 

[Bigus Termitius]

Definitely some scary stuff, but you've got to shake it off, regroup and move forward...especially an arborist of your caliber. You just have to add that to the wealth of your experience and continue accordingly. Posting up about it is good, for all of us, but most of all I'd say that somehow it may help you the most.

Luckily, Dave's hardheaded and knows how to walk it off and chalk it up too. I'm like that myself, it may seem foolish to some, but there is a certain wisdom to not letting the EMTs cart you off. A gamble either way, granted, but one I can relate too.

At any rate, I think I'll be looking into the kevlars.....

 

[Treetom]

Thanks for the post, JPS.

 

[TreEmergencyB]

Good post, i just read it today when i got home and thought about today at work. We have 2 climbers between like 5 oak trees, on the wood line/woods can bomb just about everything leave the wood where it lays, cool. We had 4 other guys, we really had to be careful and make sure everyone was clear from both dzs. Then its hard to hear cause of other chainsaw or chipper whatever is making noise. Hard to see because of other smaller trees and brush n such. I believe there should always be contact between the climber and all the ground workers, but its hard to get some guys to do it regularity. I hope slayer is back to slaying trees soon.


I need a loud speaker!

 

[Bermie]

Wow, glad you are both ok, and thank you for sharing. VERY valuable.

He needs to be careful with that knock on the noggin, there have bee some well publicised incidents of people dying a few days after a head trauma they 'shook off', Liam Neeson's wife was one, died two days after a skiing accident...tell him to be careful and get a checkup!!

 

[Bigus Termitius]

Wow, glad you are both ok, and thank you for sharing. VERY valuable.

He needs to be careful with that knock on the noggin, there have bee some well publicised incidents of people dying a few days after a head trauma they 'shook off', Liam Neeson's wife was one, died two days after a skiing accident...tell him to be careful and get a checkup!!

True, she is a sad example of that happening. Like I said, it's a risk, but so is putting yourself in the hands of the chronic failure of a medical system. I have a list of friends, thankfully no family yet, that walked in and had to be carried out for one last time, a longer list of those that survived, but never will be the same. At large, the statistics are startling and unacceptable. At the rate things are going with big pharma’s three ring circus, Dave is likely to walk in with a mild concussion and walk out with a prescription for two bottles of chemical lobotomy is gel caps, side effects to include, but not limited to terminal cerebral hemorrhaging. “Check with your doctor to see if Confushix is right for you!”

Nevertheless, you'll get no argument from me that it can be a serious issue.

Here are some symptoms:

Head Injury Causes, Symptoms, Treatment - Head Injury Symptoms on eMedicineHealth

It is important to remember that a head injury can have different symptoms and signs, ranging from a patient experiencing no initial symptoms to coma.

A high index of suspicion that a head injury may exist is important, depending upon the mechanism of injury and the initial symptoms displayed by the patient. Being unconscious, even for a short period of time is not normal. Prolonged confusion, seizures, and multiple episodes of vomiting should be signs that prompt medical attention is needed.

In some situations, concussion-type symptoms can be missed. Patients may experience difficulty concentrating, increased mood swings, lethargy or aggression, and altered sleep habits among other symptoms. Medical evaluation is always wise even well after the injury has occurred.

Given what has been observed, he might have a concussion to one degree or another. I'd say that's a given. A longer look at this info on concussions and it's possible that I may be suffering from a chronic variety. :bang: Nobody’s fault but mine.

 

[jefflovstrom]

I saw the hard hat pic he sent me, dang, might wanna get checked,Dave.
Jeff

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

from the after action review we did it seems like he got a glancing blow, which is what saved him. This happened last Monday, so he has had a week to have anything happen.

One of the things with hardhats is tht they are designed to break, the Kevlar parting takes up a lot of the energy of the blow.

 

[treevet]

Dave is OK, we worked two more days after that, and we just talked this AM about this thread. (He liked most of it except for one sentence)

Aside from an occasional episode of goosebumps, I'm doing fine too. I was surprised that there have been no nightmares though.

Another thing I should mention is Dave's owning the incident, telling me not to worry. A lesser man would have put it all on me, maybe even called a lawyer. I'll leave it to him to tell what he said of himself.

I wouldn't stop beating yourself up just yet. I think eye contact is the most important aspect prior to dropping with anyone anywhere near the drop zone and chasing them out. Sugar maple holds wood too and can be thrown an amazing distance backwards as I am sure other's do. I have seen chunks bounce on one limb after another ;on the way down like a huge stairway and land 40 feet sideways from the cutter. I think it was your responsibility to chase Dave outta there prior to cutting.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I wouldn't stop beating yourself up just yet. I think eye contact is the most important aspect prior to dropping with anyone anywhere near the drop zone and chasing them out. Sugar maple holds wood too and can be thrown an amazing distance backwards as I am sure other's do. I have seen chunks bounce on one limb after another ;on the way down like a huge stairway and land 40 feet sideways from the cutter. I think it was your responsibility to chase Dave outta there prior to cutting.

I agree, as i said my actions that caused the injuries. I could have done several things to prevent the incident from happening, my failure to hold to my own SOP is as much at fault as his stepping back into the DZ. I thought I saw him move out, I kept eyes on the unskilled labor and another sub I had not worked with before.

I assumed and do feel like an ass. I am so glad that my assumptions did not lead me to negligent manslaughter. I assure you this short loop will be running in my head for a very long time.

I regularly use a peal to throw chunks onto the but of the tree to reduce lawn damage.

 

[treevet]

I agree, as i said my actions that caused the injuries. I could have done several things to prevent the incident from happening, my failure to hold to my own SOP is as much at fault as his stepping back into the DZ. I thought I saw him move out, I kept eyes on the unskilled labor and another sub I had not worked with before.

I assumed and do feel like an ass. I am so glad that my assumptions did not lead me to negligent manslaughter. I assure you this short loop will be running in my head for a very long time.

I regularly use a peal to throw chunks onto the but of the tree to reduce lawn damage.

Kudos to you John for making a negative into a positive to help others learn and I hope Dave continues to be ok. You both are top level arborists. Anyone can make a mistake.

 

[Jumper]

Kudos to you John for making a negative into a positive to help others learn and I hope Dave continues to be ok. You both are top level arborists. Anyone can make a mistake.

I always have maintained reporting "near misses" in any industry is a valuable learning tool to prevent future loss of equipment, material and most importantly, personel.

 

[TreeAce]

WOW. That is a scary picture. I can just picture it happening. I think its important that both jps and slayer see there rolls in what happened. I am glad slayer is ok. Def a VERY close call. Thanks for posting jps. Sharing what happened can help others to be more careful. You guys are seasoned pros, which reminds me it CAN happen.....to anyone who strays from strict saftey rules.

 

[freeweight]

gawd still remember the day a VERY dead top snapped out of a tree we were "hanging" the top was bigger than a 2 liter bottle ,and prob 20-30 ft long,was just to dead to climb ,any way this thing snapps and in a split secong i see whats going to happen ,realize ill prob make it to him bout the time for it to take us both out ,tree is supported by rope ,granfather has...so i sprint

this thing does a somersault prob 60ft up where it broke ,dad doesnt know he gos to finish the cut and smack ,the butt end landed perfectly parallel across his shoulders ,heas got a 85 with a 3ft bar in his hand ,if he wasnt bent over to make the final cut it woulda been right on with his neck ,he gos out cold starts makeing these horable noises i thought his brain went o basic function mode of trying to get oxygen the way it sounded

bout ten min gos by helicopter comes he wakes up like uh whats going on .....he was bruised bad but was ok

 

[treeslayer]

This is another reason I ALWAYS wear a hard hat. This Pacific Kevlar hat has saved me from many small hits, a couple medium strikes, and now saved my life.Think I will send this pic to Pacific and thank them....
JPS is the most professional treeguy I know, and I was not only skirting the DZ, but I turned my back on the climber for an instant. wrong instant, huh?

I shouldn't have been there, John figured I knew better and would maintain visual and I didn't.

I have been hammering it at my men, If it happens to guys with our experience, it will kill YOU especially without PPE.

been rough sleeping, the log hit drove my chin into my chest, and the soreness is finally gone.
The HO gave me a bottle of Vicodin (she broke her ankle taking pics of the storm damage from this tree earlier that week )and the lady next door, another customer, made me a VERY stiff cocktail. :biggrin: the next day? no climbing, still had to work..........

I woke up to paramedics and police and never knew what hit me. stupid ####ing mistake.:mad2:

View attachment 193079

 

[treeslayer]

and how the heck do I insert images now????

invalid URL my arse, it's from AS for God's sake......

 

[Mike Cantolina]

Good to hear from you.

 

[Blakesmaster]

Damn, Dave. Very glad you're ok. Stay safe out there.