Dadatwins
Addicted to ArboristSite
Don't post on here much anymore, very little time and usually to much political bantering but I had an incident that I figured I would share, especially to those anti-helmet, I will never get hurt yahoos that are out there. I am in the tree business a long time - 25+ years, growing up in it, and remember doing the work with baseball hats and handsaws back in the day. Grew up and was taught around a bunch of old timers that have the 'nothing can hurt me attitude' that most folks in this business have, and frankly probably need to do the work that we do. I have learned over the years and by educating myself that much of the 'old way' may have worked, but there is usually a better and safer way. This particular removal was a dead tree in a swampy wooded area behind a newly constructed home. Tree was in what is called here 'common property' but the dead crown was overhanging private property so the homeowners association wanted it felled into the woods to eliminate the hazard over private property. White oak tree, dead 20" dbh x 80' tall, pretty straight tree with full dead crown. Simple cut and leave in the woods, basically a one cut tree. I set a rope in the top of the tree from the ground, set up a rope come-along in the direction of fall and pre-tensioned the line. Had my helper in the woods way beyond the fall line for some additional pull. Made my notch at the base, tree started falling over as I wanted it to, I started backing away watching the fall. As I was backing away I felt the impact to my helmet. I do remember seeing the tree 1/3 of the way over before getting hit. I was looking up and around as it started falling over but I did not see the limb that came back and hit me, it either fell from the top or bounced back out the woods, but it caught me square on the helmet. Did not knock me out, but certainly rang my bell. The straps inside the standard forestry type hard hat upon compression cut my head, requiring 10 staples to close back up. Chipped a few teeth on the impact also. I will be looking for a better designed helmet for future work, this one worked and I probably would not be around had I not been wearing it. The impact to my head also caused a spinous process fracture of my c-7 vertebrae in my neck. Fracture not near the spinal cord but on the bones that stick out along the back. Fracture is stable no surgery needed and it will heal itself, just have a neck brace on for 4 - 6 weeks to make sure no further damage happens. I consider myself very lucky and as everyone has told me this could have been much worse, especially without the helmet. To think about how many people are out there doing tree work without helmets is scary, I will never be without one again. Anyway be careful, and I hope is well.
