 cdruGo ColtsPremium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:5
 ·Frontier FiOS
| Learning the hard way that safety should always comes first Well on Saturday I learned the hard way that safety should aways come first. I posted in another thread about how to remove some tree stumps. Well mother nature held out, the 40' lift was delivered, and I removed several trees Friday evening and Saturday morning with a friend and my dad. We had done everything pretty much as safely as possible and the only causality had been a 4" piece of a cedar fence that broke off when a branch hit it.
We were on the very last piece that we needed to cut with the lift. It was a nearly vertical section of trunk probably 8' long and maybe 12" across. I was cutting with the chain saw while a friend was pushing up a ways on it to help it along and take the tension off the bar. This was the only piece that we didn't tie off towards the top and pull in the direction that we wanted it to go. All the ropes were on the ground and we hadn't had any issues, so we thought we'd press our luck.
I remember the bar going almost all the way through the trunk. I pulled the saw out and saw the bottom of the cut piece drop down the opposite side of the trunk. That was the last thing I remember before hearing my dad say "Get him down here now" and thinking, why am I laying on the bottom of the lift.
Come to find out the bottom fell to the back, but the top came towards the basket on the lift. It knocked me down and out for only a few seconds. By the time the lift had returned to the ground (we were up 15' or so I already regained conscience and was aware what happened (sorta). I sat down for a while to see if the killer headache would lighten up with a few Tylenol. After about a 1/2 hour I stood up and got quite dizzy so the wife dragged me to the hospital.
Fast forward a little bit. My wife probably did the right thing. I ended up with a laceration on my forehead (that thankfully didn't need stitches), a fracture in my skull, an epidural hematoma (bruise under the fracture), and something else I can't pronounce but essentially another bruise. I thankfully was released from the ICU today around noon as clot that had formed from the hematoma had dissolved enough that it wasn't much of a concern anymore.
All in all I spent about 3 days in the neuro section of the ICU, an ambulance trip between a a regional hospital and the main one, and had 4 CT scans of my noggin. That pretty much ate up anything I saved from cutting down the tree myself in medical costs. 
Anyways, here are some of the things that I learned over the weekend:
1. Always plan for the worse. Know your outs. When you are cutting down a tree, expect the tree to fall in your direction and do everything you can to prevent it.
2. Saving 30 seconds by not going down and getting a rope isn't worth it. It may cost several thousand dollars in the long run plus a long weekend of your life.
3a. Wear goggles, if not a face shield when cutting wood.
3b. A hard hat probably wouldn't be a bad idea either.
4. Be thankful for friends and family; more then what you probably are. In my case my friend saw what was happening a split second before it did and kind of pushed me to the side. It probably saved the several hundred pounds from hitting me directly making things much, much worse. Also for a wife that always wants to be safer then sorrier and insisted on dragging my stubborn ass to the hospital sooner then I would have gone on my own.
5. Spending a weekend in the ICU is no fun. Not only from the lost time and associated costs, but also looking around and seeing people much worse off then you. I was very lucky in that I was almost able to walk out of the ICU on my own power (if it wasn't against hospital policy). Sitting there realizing how well off I was and seeing people on a dozen different machines that go <bing> is kind of sobering.
6. Bodily functions in the ICU..well...lets just say it's not the most convenient thing and leave it at that.
7. Solid foods really are better then a clear liquid only diet.
8. Believe in a higher power. I am honestly in belief that it took an act of god not to do more damage then what it did. When I "woke up" on the bottom of the lift, I remember looking straight sideways and seeing the chainsaw sitting on the floor right beside me. It was off. I didn't turn it off nor did my friend. I don't know how it would have gone from extended over the rail to the floor all while I'm collapsing too. I don't know how it avoided scratching (or much worse) me, my friend, or anything else. It was as if something grabbed it, turned it off, and placed in on the floor. I'm probably now going to start going to church a little more often now.  |
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| said by cdru:Anyways, here are some of the things that I learned over the weekend: 3a. Wear goggles, if not a face shield when cutting wood. 3b. A hard hat probably wouldn't be a bad idea either. How about a full face DOT motorcycle helmet. 
I'm glad you're OK, or at least the prognosis is good.
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Proud Member of Team Discovery |
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 SparkChaserAvatar is not a SparkPremium
join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA
kudos:3
·Verizon FiOS
 ·Comcast
| reply to cdru
 Damn!!!!! Happy to hear your doing okay after that. As I was reading your story, I kept saying, "where's the saw". A mighty close one there.
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"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." - Aldous Huxley |
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 KenPremium,MVM
join:2003-06-16
Brownsburg, IN | reply to cdru
Glad you are ok. Sounds like you were lucky, I had a friend who was killed in a similar fashion. He was helping his father trim a tree and a branch came down and hit him on the head. It hit him just right that it killed him instantly.
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Business website: MerrittConstruction.com Personal website: KenMerritt.com |
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 whizkid3Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-21
Queens, NY
kudos:8 | reply to cdru
cdru, glad you will be OK; and watching the Colts this season. I'm sure you realize, things could have easily been much worse. Hope you feel better. |
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cdruGo ColtsPremium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
kudos:5 Reviews:
·Frontier FiOS
| said by whizkid3:cdru, glad you will be OK; and watching the Colts this season. I'm sure you realize, things could have easily been much worse. Hope you feel better. I was watching the college games on Saturday and all I could do was think about was the impact some of those guys heads were doing. I just cringed at every play.
I am definitely sure how much worse things could have been. I'm sure I was a fraction of an inch away from cutting my self to pieces, cutting my best friend, or getting hit directly by the branch. The worst it looks like I'll get is a 1/2" scar below my hairline, a helluva headache, and a big doctor's bill. But I'm very thankful it wasn't more and I have a new found respect for power tools and gravity. |
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whizkid3Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-21
Queens, NY
kudos:8 | said by cdru:I'm sure I was a fraction of an inch away from cutting my self to pieces, cutting my best friend... One more lesson - never allow anyone to stand within range where they can come into contact with the chain saw. A circle around you of 10 feet. Rope it off if you have to.
Anyway; glad to hear again that you'll be around for some dlsreports-style verbal jabbing in the future. |
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sailorPremium
join:2003-10-21
Long Island
kudos:6 | reply to cdru
Man, you're one fortunate person to be back here posting.
Hope you have no future medical problems from this..
Thanks for posting. |
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 PacratOld and CrankyPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-10
Cortland, OH
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to cdru
Chain saws scare the hell out of me. I have a small (12" bar) electric chain saw that I use to cut up fallen, dead, pin oak limbs, but I would never use that thing up in the air. I have a bow saw that I use for just about everything that I have to use a ladder to reach... which isn't very much.
I know too many people who have had accidents with chainsaws or very close calls. It's the one power tool that I really hate, even when it is the proper tool to use.
Glad you're on the road to recovery without too much pain along the way. It sure could've been a lot worse.
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"You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd... but you can be happy if you've a mind to!" |
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 dennismurphyPut me on hold? I'll put YOU on holdPremium
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ
·Verizon FiOS
·Optimum Online
| reply to cdru
I am incredibly happy that you're OK!! You're one of the lucky ones who survive a major tree catastrophe.
Now, to jump on my soapbox for a moment ...
This is why I very strongly recommend using a Certified Tree Expert when performing any tree work. Tree work is MUCH more dangerous than most of us give it credit for ...
I say this as my dad is a Certified Tree Expert in the state of New Jersey. I know that the requirements to become a CTE in New Jersey are -extremely- difficult. There is a very substantial amount of knowledge and experience that are required to pass the exam. I can't speak for other states, but I know there are similar programs elsewhere.
A great resource available everywhere is the International Society of Arborists (ISA). You can search for a local ISA Certified Arborist at www.treesaregood.com.
Always ask for someone who's certified -- not just some guy in a bucket truck. Remember, it's not just your tree at risk -- but your property and ultimately, your life.
I implore everyone to think long & hard before undertaking some major tree work on their own -- all it takes is one miscalculation, one misstep, or one small mishap....
Thank goodness you're OK! Just put your feet up, count your blessings, and enjoy life! That's what's important in the grand scheme of things ........ Experiences like this really make the cost of hiring a certified tree professional seem small in comparison.
Thanks for listening - this is a topic that hits near-and-dear to me; as I said, I do have family members in the tree business, and I've seen first-hand what happens when even small mistakes are made. It's not something I want to see anyone go through! |
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 WarzauPremium
join:2000-10-26
Naperville, IL
kudos:1 | reply to cdru
Wow glad you are okay. Make the knot I got on my head from the corner of the cupboard insignificant. At least I got a kiss on the boo boo from my little girls. |
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 M A R SPremium
join:2001-06-15
Long Island
·Optimum Online
| reply to cdru
Glad your OK, I hope you keep any eye out for any other issues that may come of this.
Shoveling snow I ruptured 2 discs in my back in 2005. Instead of just being typical herniated discs they centrally herniated in to my spine. I have never known a day without pain since.
Life has never been the same, i have been told by 3 specialists that the operation i need is going through the front of my abdomen and moving all my parts then working on my spine with only a 15% success rate.
Some days like today, i can hardly walk, sit, stand, lay-down or even shit..
Just be safe man, i always think for just 30 seconds now before doing anything. IM talking ANYTHING...
Good luck.
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Neturei Karta |
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 HRMGod Bless AmericaPremium,MVM
join:2002-02-03
Darien, CT
kudos:1 | reply to cdru
Glad you are OK. This is the classic "it isn't as easy as it looks." Luckily for you, this is not a mistake made twice in one lifetime, so you are now officially experienced with a chain saw. As you noted, many don't make it this far with all appendages, so you are very lucky.
Having a "near fatal" certainly changes one's view of the samll things in life. I hope all changes are positive for you and aside from the money, there is no lasting derogatory effects. |
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 TODarlingU.S. Army RetiredPremium
join:2004-11-27
Fort Smith, AR | Glad you are ok. I hired a tree service to remove some trees for me a few years back. They using the climbing method to remove them. On the way up remove the limbs and on the way down cutting the main trunk. They cut the trunk into 16 to 18 inch lenghts. They reason being they don't have to cut them again once on the ground to move them. Some of the trees removed were 60 to 80 feet tall |
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Reviews:
·Charter
| reply to dennismurphy
said by dennismurphy:Thanks for listening - this is a topic that hits near-and-dear to me; as I said, I do have family members in the tree business, and I've seen first-hand what happens when even small mistakes are made. It's not something I want to see anyone go through! In my area only thing that separates certified tree trimmers and regular people is they are insured. Not worth it considering the home owners insurance covers tree cutting on property you live (at least here). |
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SparkChaserAvatar is not a SparkPremium
join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA
kudos:3 Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
·Comcast
| said by markopoleo:In my area only thing that separates certified tree trimmers and regular people is they are insured. Not worth it considering the home owners insurance covers tree cutting on property you live (at least here). I think there are 2 kinds of insurance. The first is protecting your property. The second is protecting them if they get hurt on your property. They could come back and sue you. (as dumb as that sounds  )
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"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." - Aldous Huxley |
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dennismurphyPut me on hold? I'll put YOU on holdPremium
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
·Optimum Online
| reply to markopoleo
said by markopoleo:In my area only thing that separates certified tree trimmers and regular people is they are insured. Not worth it considering the home owners insurance covers tree cutting on property you live (at least here). Yikes! It's certainly not that way here. The CTE exam is really very intensive (as I said -- my dad's a CTE. It's definitely not an easy test!)
But again - the ISA (International Society of Arborists) also has their own certification process -- some of the test requirements are here. Also not an easy test, and usually a good indicator that the person is a true professional in the tree care industry. |
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 tahoejeffPremium
join:2001-07-01
Wisconsin Dells, WI | reply to cdru
wow, quite a story. glad you will be ok.
if the next step involves drilling deep one inch holes in the trunks (semi-dangerous), filling them with kerosene or diesel and lighting it (semi-dangerous)...i think i'd hire someone to come out with a stump grinder, while you sit safely inside watching a game.
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The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth |
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 SplitpairPremium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
kudos:3 | reply to cdru
Add to your PSD list a harness to strap your butt to the lift/bucket. Getting tossed out of a bucket at 15+ feet can kill ya if it doesn't leave you a vegetable.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician. |
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 natedjElectedPremium
join:2001-06-06
Columbia, SC
·Earthlink Cable ..
| reply to cdru
I was just wondering how your stump grinding turned out and then I saw this post. I'm glad you recovered to relay the story to us.
Not to discount the advice about hiring a qualified professional to cut tress down, but I think that the OP was fully capable of handling the task, he just got a little careless towards the end of the project, and that happens to many Professionals too.
Chainsaws are a necessary evil in tree work and I always approach it cautiously. I remember a coworker of mine (an avid hunter in his spare time) was on his weekend expedition where he was cutting limbs off of a tree ... he's done it a thousands times, but being a little careless with the saw, it kicked back on him and the blade came back at his face, it landed on bottom half of his mouth and destroyed his teeth, gums and part of his tongue. He's been spending a fortune in dental work ever since.
Again, I'm glad you're okay because that sounds like something I would have done, I get my confidence level up and start taking shortcuts, especially towards the end of a job and confidence is a poor substitute for safety.
I bet your wife won't let you grind those stumps unless you're in full SWAT team gear with the helmet, bullet-proof vest, shields .......etc.
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Good judgement comes with experience...Experience comes after bad judgements |
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