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How many of us have been seriously hurt over the years.

Started by erin, November 17, 2018, 07:01:12 PM

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erin

I know very few people that have never gotten hurt in the bush.

longtime lurker

Me, I've been lucky. I'm getting around on a broken foot at the moment due to an ungracious splat jumping (not climbing) off the back of a skidder. I've had a helmet split due to flung back branch once, had my feet taken out from under me by a buttress tearing out once, had a dead head land around me, had a limb self prune when I was 30'  short of being under it because I was hitching my chaps up... but aside from the foot and some bruises and scratches I've always walked away intact. But I never kid myself it's been anymore than luck that's kept me alive... you spend enough time in the bush sooner or later random chance will get ya, even if you never do a single thing wrong.

Grandad lost two uncles, one to a barber chair, the other went down with his team of bullocks under a big log on a hill.
One of his brothers died due snakebite out felling.
Two brother in laws - one went down with a truck load of logs, another in a mill accident.
My "uncle", actually the dead brothers son, due to vehicle accident in a hurry to get to town to get parts for a machine.

According to OH&S I am 3645 % more likely to die or suffer serious injury on the job than Joe Average worker in Australia.

It's a dangerous business, and don't ever forget it.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

Maine logger88

I've been very lucky had many many close calls over the years. I did have a friend get killed in a forwarder rollover a few years back not many days goes by when I don't think of that. Big part of the reason I went mechanical. 
79 TJ 225 81 JD 540B Husky and Jonsered saws

Jeff

I selected major. I posted about it in 2011.

Quote from: Jeff on January 14, 2011, 05:37:30 PM
Do different causes.  The first one in 1989  was an accident.  We had a pin fall out on the hydralic cylinder that activates the big iron log kickers on our Debarker outfeed trough. The kickers push up through the trough, push the log up on the live deck, then return out of the trough. when they come back out of the trough and down, they just clear the wall. If you look at the video link, you will see how they work and the wall that is there.

Well, the way we should have fixed it, was locked out the machine, go find some wrenches, took the hoses off the cylinder, pulled the ram out on the cylinder so it would line up and then put the pin back in.  In the real world when we were trying to make production, You have two guys back there, have the debarker operator push the lever until the clevis lines up then put the pin back in. That's what we did. I an another guy put the pin in, then motioned for the debarker operator to put the kickers in the up position so we could walk out past them.  He did that, then lifted his hands up and to each side to show he was clear of the controls. At that point, Bob and I turned around to walk out. I took one step, and for what ever reason that possessed the guy running the debarker, we guess he was grabbing a lever to do something else, he put the kickers back down. I was now between the kicker, and a 2 by 6 T&G wall, about a foot from one of the 6 by 6 barn poles.  The kicker pushed me into the wall and I tried to resist. My arm was torn from its socket and most of the muscles torn lose with it. Bob was behind me and at the same time grabbed my belt and pulled me backwards as the kicker went on down, probably saving my life.   

Bob told me he had heard about peoples eyes turning red in anger, but never saw it until that day. I instantly spin and was going after the old fart that activated the machine, as Bob held me back.  I still didnt know how bad I was hurt.  

I had a fairly major reconstruction of the shoulder with my arm pinned to my side for 6 weeks after the operation. My wrist got to be about as big around as a kids.  It took me about a year to recover completely, but I went back to the mill after 4 months. 

Thats the shoulder that is bothering me now. I went almost 20 years with it trouble free, as the fix was quite successful.

The other shoulder was diagnozed as a repetitive stress injury. I've had 3 operations on it, and after about 4 years now, it give me very little trouble. It took a longtime for the pain to go away on it, and I lost about 15% of my range of motion.

The video below shows the debarker that got me.

debarker.mpg - YouTube
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Skeans1

A buddy was killed by a widow maker about a week before I took one to the left side of my hard hat and shoulder. The buddy it split his head open when it happened, mine took part of my tongue front tooth and a hell of a round with the little birdies.

sawguy21

Only a few bumps and bruises but had the almighty scared out of me a few times. We were unloading short logs with a picker, I reached up to keep one from spinning and catching the deck just as buddy hit the lever, he couldn't see me (my fault). That log gave me a shot upside the head that sent me butt over breakfast onto the deck right where he wanted to place it.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Texas Ranger

back in he day when hardhats were layered fiber glass in WWI helmet style, I caught a widow maker square on top of the head, hat split,I woke up with my bud dumping canteen on my face, sore neck and headache for a few days.  I hated that helmet, till that day.
The Ranger, home of Texas Forestry

Corley5

Tree hit me on the head.  Fractured the seventh vertebrae in my neck, separated my left shoulder and sprained my left ankle.  The hard hat suspension pushed down over my ears, when it sprang back up it ripped my right ear lobe requiring 12 twelve stitches to reattach.  Never cut timber without a lid on.  Had 28 stitches in my left hand after a chainsaw bite.  Family, friends, acquaintances have all been hurt.  Some permanently disabled.  Some have died. 
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

BargeMonkey

I've been pretty lucky, some stitches / staples, broken ankle, compressed 2 vertebrae in my back last yr, 9-3/4 fingers but who's counting 😂 

 Theres been 5 loggers killed here in the last 20? yrs, 3 of the accidents where very preventable, due to no ROPS / FOPS the other 2 where due to hangers / limbs coming down. Landowners ask me all the time "IF" I worry, alot of it falls down to how safe you try and be but I've been slapped a few times, happens to us all. 
 Nothing wrong here... 😂 

 

bushmechanic

Yes most of us have been in a pinch or two. I near lost my left eye when my saw kicked backed and took a chomp out of my forehead. Took 10 stitches to fix me up, mind you I was only 13 years old when that happened. Dad had an old saw in a box and I asked if I could have it, him thinking I wouldn't get it going let me have it. Well I guess that's where I got the talent for mechanical repairs lol.

mike_belben

Only close calls for me so far, all on gaffs.  One top broke the hinge and spun on the pole, about 50ft up. I threw saw and leaped right before it stepped into my belt. Luckily the right gaff caught and the top only grazed my left knee on the way by instead of hanging and tearing it off or me down.

I severed a rope lanyard and knicked my wire core once.  Had limbs swing down and wail my foot a few times. my first gaffout was completely unexpected.. Hard face plant and slid down the trunk a few feet until flipline cinched with my fingers in it.  Just small stuff. Other than my busted forearm last year from trailer backflip ive been very fortunate with trees.

Praise The Lord

quilbilly

I hear of around 1 logger per year dying in Western wa. I was running skidder and a log rolled off the deck while I was unhooking chokers, put me on crutches for my wedding. We were only an hour and a half from quitting for the day.
a man is strongest on his knees

gaproperty

Look up before you fell a tree.  I did but didn't see a 4 inch branch break.  Got me in the head. Lucky I was wearing a helmet. I never work without one and let me tell you I had a sore neck for awhile.  
Ray
lostcaper.com
youtube.com/c/LostCaper

curved-wood

I had a skull fracture when my tractor flip over. Bad slope and very bad decision from my self. I was not stuck under the tractor so I walked for the first 50 feet and got inconscious. My angel took care of my and I woke up beside the house after walking unconscious for 3/4 of a mile ! Got 2 operations and a plastic piece stitched to my skull Absolutly no sequela  :) Still have a great joy working in the forest. I've learned from that experience that the best security is that I've got to be praranoid...the tree want to hit me . Implies top prevention, always

mills

Like everyone I've had several close calls in the log woods, but my most severe one happened this summer. Running the knuckleboom bucking and loading logs trying to get the truck off the landing before a big rain moved in. I got a text from one of my daughters that the whole family, grandkids and all, were at the house. That got me rushing even more. 

Came off the loader to verify the cut on a nice white oak, and instead of taking the steps back up I went up the far side stepping up on an outrigger. Done it a thousand times. But this time I was in a hurry with muddy boots. I reached up to grab a hydraulic hose as I stepped up. My foot slipped just as my hand almost had a grip on the hose. lost the grip on the hose, and along with my momentum I fell completely sideways across the outrigger. Knocked the air out of me, and I was sore as the dickens, but it didn't seem to be any worse than that. Crawled back in the loader, finished loading, tied the load off, and drove the truck out to the gravel. 

Sore as heck, but made it home and was visiting with the family when I touched my side and happened to see blood on my hand. I didn't think that I had even gotten a scratch when I fell, but when I pulled my shirt up to check it out my daughter in-law almost fainted. Right at my beltline was a deep 2" gash. Not sure if the wound didn't open up until I got to moving around, or if the belt was holding everything together. 

I think the doc put in six internal stitches with six more on the outside. When he finished I asked the doc that since the wound was on my side and not in a muscle if I could go back to the log woods in the morning. Should have seen the look on the nurses face. :D He couldn't believe that I would ask him that, but he said to take it easy and you should be OK. Yeah. Next morning I was packing chainsaws.   ;)

teakwood

In 2007 i was dropping trees and bushes for my teak plantations and one gnarly, curved, twisted 6" diam tree kicked back and came down over my leg, i looked down and saw the sole of my boot staring at me, my lower leg was bent 180 degrees around the log. luckily it was no open fracture. 3 month in a cast, then learn to walk again just to break the leg again after my dog run me over from behind.  I would a have killed the dog with my bare hands in that instant but could not walk anymore to get em.  then i had to pay for surgery in a private hospital, they fixed it good!
One complicated hand fracture, but that was back in Switzerland when i still worked in construction, which is also dangerous.
and of course the normal uncountable bruises, sores, cuts and nasty insects bites and stings 
National Stihl Timbersports Champion Costa Rica 2018

bill m

NH tc55da Metavic 4x4 trailer Stihl and Husky saws

erin

You guys are making me feel very fortunate today, my dad was a faller in BC for years and has been logging and climbing for around 40 years now without breaking any bones he's had a few close calls but was never seriously injured. Thank you all for your input.
E.

maple flats

My worst was an almost. I was dropping a few trees about 6-8 years ago and all went where I planned. It turned out 1 plan was bad. There was brush on the ground about 20-25' out from the tree I was felling. It wend down perfectly, but I did not know there was an old stump in that brush. The trunk landed on the stump and the butt end jumped about 8-10' in the air, as I exited 45 degrees left. Had I not exited, my widow might be typing this for others to beware. That tree was about 14" DBH. It did miss my chainsaw too.
Then last fall I was taking down 2 dangerous trees, a big sugar maple and a bigger cherry. In both cases I had to drop several other trees to give the compromised ones an opening to fall into. The sugar maple went as planned, the cherry was more exciting.
When I got to the cherry, the trunk was all rotted, leaving live wood in the shape of a BIG letter C, and the center was all missing. I had to drop it in the direction of the top of the C. The wood around there was only about 6-7" thick before it got to the rotten void in the center. I decided to use my mini excavator to help push the tree at about 10' up. With so little wood there I chose to just made a wedge cut about 2" deep. Then with the excavator putting pressure on it and with the blade down on the opposite end of the excavator, I made my plunge cut to define the hinge, then cut, backing out. As I exited the back side, the tree barber chaired at about 8' up. When the top was down, the excavator wasn't. the bucket held that end of the tracks about 30" off the ground and the blade held the other end of the tracks about 16" off the ground. It was hanging there. I thought it a bad idea to get on the excavator, so standing beside it I very slowly started to lift the bucket. As I did, the cherry moved towards the excavator. I added a little down pressure as it stopped. I then raised the blade just enough that one end of the tracks was touching the ground. I then slowly, while standing on the ground moved the excavator away. After a foot or so, the tree stopped coming towards the machine. I then very slowly again raised the bucket. This time I was able to get both tracks fully on the ground and the bucket off the trunk. I then moved it a few feet away from the trunk and got on. I then drove it to the left and approached the barber chair from that side, reached up and pushed the trunk off it's perch. Finally, my heart could slow down. I put my tools away and left for the day. One scary moment but no injuries.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

tule peak timber

persistence personified - never let up , never let down

thecfarm

tule peak timber, :o
Probably most of you guys have cut more wood in a week,than I have in a year. But I am out in the woods alot. Just thinning and cutting firewood.
As maple flats,a sharp knoll did that to me. And probably just about the same size,an old white birch,surpressed by the big white pines that grew over and around it. I was cutting the white birch so I could fall the white pine. That tree went up in the air and jumped over 20 feet. Good thing the 20 feet was in the other directon as I was going. Lucky I made my escape route to the left and not the right.
Seem like with me I respect the big ones,3 feet across. But the smaller ones,something seems to happen to them more often. Maybe because I cut more small ones. I had a small one hit the side of a shed on a piece of land that I bought. I gave the shed away!!! That tree sent me flying threw the air. I came to on the ground and quite the bruise and skin peeling on my shoulder and arm. :o 
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Skeans1

Quote from: maple flats on November 18, 2018, 12:23:23 PM
My worst was an almost. I was dropping a few trees about 6-8 years ago and all went where I planned. It turned out 1 plan was bad. There was brush on the ground about 20-25' out from the tree I was felling. It wend down perfectly, but I did not know there was an old stump in that brush. The trunk landed on the stump and the butt end jumped about 8-10' in the air, as I exited 45 degrees left. Had I not exited, my widow might be typing this for others to beware. That tree was about 14" DBH. It did miss my chainsaw too.
Then last fall I was taking down 2 dangerous trees, a big sugar maple and a bigger cherry. In both cases I had to drop several other trees to give the compromised ones an opening to fall into. The sugar maple went as planned, the cherry was more exciting.
When I got to the cherry, the trunk was all rotted, leaving live wood in the shape of a BIG letter C, and the center was all missing. I had to drop it in the direction of the top of the C. The wood around there was only about 6-7" thick before it got to the rotten void in the center. I decided to use my mini excavator to help push the tree at about 10' up. With so little wood there I chose to just made a wedge cut about 2" deep. Then with the excavator putting pressure on it and with the blade down on the opposite end of the excavator, I made my plunge cut to define the hinge, then cut, backing out. As I exited the back side, the tree barber chaired at about 8' up. When the top was down, the excavator wasn't. the bucket held that end of the tracks about 30" off the ground and the blade held the other end of the tracks about 16" off the ground. It was hanging there. I thought it a bad idea to get on the excavator, so standing beside it I very slowly started to lift the bucket. As I did, the cherry moved towards the excavator. I added a little down pressure as it stopped. I then raised the blade just enough that one end of the tracks was touching the ground. I then slowly, while standing on the ground moved the excavator away. After a foot or so, the tree stopped coming towards the machine. I then very slowly again raised the bucket. This time I was able to get both tracks fully on the ground and the bucket off the trunk. I then moved it a few feet away from the trunk and got on. I then drove it to the left and approached the barber chair from that side, reached up and pushed the trunk off it's perch. Finally, my heart could slow down. I put my tools away and left for the day. One scary moment but no injuries.
Do you mind a little advice? 2" in for a face unless the tree is 6" is too small. A face should be 1/3 to 1/2 the diameter depending on the center of gravity, mistake two is bore cutting, do a standard back cut walking the bar around less chance of a chair.

Don P

Tule, what happened there? That is ugly!
I went to the Logging Congress, I guess about 15 years ago, lots of injuries apparent there. Nothing really serious for me, some reassembly required occasionally, I guess more of mine are construction related. A few broken wrists, compounded a hand bone in a shop accident. Got thrown about 20' in the air by a barberchair. That white oak was swinging for the fences, I landed a good ways from it. Broke a rib or two but mighty lucky. The biggest concern while going into orbit was thinking I've got to get rid of this saw. Sort of the same thing as Mills, I had another job going, an owner builder was coming in from 1200 miles away the next day and was helping build the roof. He was afraid of heights so I ended up on the high end setting rafters and slinging ply, that was a long weekend but we got it dried in. Broken leg 6 or 7 years ago, misstep on a leafy rocky slope. Just starting a job, I thought it was a bad twist, so wrapped it. I didn't know it was broken till I went to the doctor a year or so ago when it went lame, a ligament had finally finished tearing when I hopped off the K-boom onto a log. Smooshed the other foot under a log, we were on a job in IL so limped it off, triple E's now. A machine roller dislocated the elbow and detached the ulnar, not too bad considering, the roller weighed about a ton. 3 shoulder ops from the wear and tear, a couple of hernias from the same. Can't recall an innocent or intelligent accident. Even when a coworker shot me, I shouldn't have been there.  Happily He doesn't charge for scratchin the paint but there is one overworked angel I'll have some 'splainin to do to one day.

lxskllr

Not a logger, but my closest call with wood was a few months ago. I was on the boss' farm looking for a property corner on a wooded drive. He got a hit with the metal detector, so I was digging into the edge of the stone road bed. Didn't find anything. Got up, walked 30' away, and a 4' limb from a dead ash fell right where I had been digging. That's when I noticed all the dead ash around. A project for the future...

In construction I've had numerous close calls, and once got a flight to shock trauma when a 5/8" cable fell on my head. I was 12' in a hole laying out pile, and the crane operator boomed up and swung. He caught a loose cable on the ground, and it dragged over the hole, and fell on me. I was fine mostly. The helicopter ride was overkill imo.

Slipped off a bridge form, hit the ground, and caught myself with ~2" to spare of having rebar go through my neck.

Walking on the shoulder of a highway, had a semi slide by me in a cloud of tire smoke.

Runaway truck down a hill 6' away from me.

Me and my partner where standing below a fill section, with machines working above. A couple hundred pound clay lump got knocked loose, came down the slope right between us, and wiped the instrument out.

A bunch of other stuff that isn't coming to me atm, including dumb kid stuff I did. I've had a charmed life. I should be dead, but I've never even broken a bone. Blew out my back at work when I was ~25. Kinda sucked having that happen so early in life cause it's been an ongoing issue, but it could always be worse...

tule peak timber

On my arm, I had a stack of plywood come down on top of me. The 1 inch ply was stacked vertically against a wall without a safety binder and when one piece tipped, the whole lift sort of "vacuum sucked along" behind it. On the way down the plywood sheared a solid metal chain sharpener in half ,cleaved off the front end of a work bench , and flattened two saw horses. I was in the mix and lucky to not get killed. Very weird accident.
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

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