Blunt Force Trauma

[WesternSaw]

John and others

Not trying to take away anything at all from that terrible accident,but I have a question.I know a lot of accident and deaths occur from dead branches falling down while felling and striking the faller.How do you prevent that? I mean how can you watch the saw in the cut and keep your head up for debris coming down?
Thanks
Lawrence

 

[banshee67]

glad you are alright, thats a hell of a drive to get to the hospital. looks like it could have been way worse, hope you are heeling well and feeling good

 

[056kid]

You get a feeling for where and what the saw is doing in the wood. . .

It is impossible to dodge all the falling stuff. I had a piece of locust graze my back, it took my air and really shook me pretty good. had it been a direct hit, I would probably be dead or a wheel chair ridden cauliflower. . .

 

[pioneerguy600]

I have been hit very very hard twice when wearing a hardhat, both times the hardhat and the suspension was totally trashed. I escaped with minor abrasions and slight bruises. I know that my head was deflected to the side both times, the projectiles were also deflected somewhat and the suspension asorbed a lot of the load shock. The first time I was hit it was a 4X4 X 10' dropped from 2 floors above me, a direct end on hit that introduced my face to the concrete footing I was standing on. The second was in the woods, I heard that sickening crack just a few feet above my head as a 4-5" dia by 6-7' long dead snag that had broken off over 50' above me plummeted to earth striking me top center on the hat , it shattered and so did my hardhat, it sunk me to my knees and the lightening lit up the inside of my skull, a hot stinging liquid dripped out my nose but I did not pass out. When my vision returned I stumbled out of the woods, about a mile and a half to the main road, luckily a woods contractor picked me up and took me to the hospital. Moral to the story, wear your hardhat, you can be as careful as can be and still something will get you out there, it is not always possible to see all the things that can kill us out there.

Pioneerguy600

 

[Gypo Logger]

Not trying to take away anything at all from that terrible accident,but I have a question.I know a lot of accident and deaths occur from dead branches falling down while felling and striking the faller.How do you prevent that? I mean how can you watch the saw in the cut and keep your head up for debris coming down?
Thanks
Lawrence

Lawrence, it seems that most chunks or branches that are flung toward the operator are generally from falling trees that either come into contact with other standing timber or when a felled tree becomes lodged into another. Also, trees that are tied together can harbor hidden woody matter too.
In these situations all that can be done is to pay the utmost attention and to assume there is going to be some flying debris.
An alternate escape route is not a bad idea either, or to let other standing trees run defense for you.
After an accident, the woods seems to be a foreign place, although it can be quite tranquil most of the time.
If this accident doesn't make me a better faller, than I have no business felling them.
John

 

[LarryTheCableGuy]

A Stihl cap would have completely deflected it - sort of a force field kind of thing.

Dammit John, everybody knows that...

:hmm3grin2orange:


Hoping that your vision and other symptoms clear up pronto!

.

 

[Gologit]

Not trying to take away anything at all from that terrible accident,but I have a question.I know a lot of accident and deaths occur from dead branches falling down while felling and striking the faller.How do you prevent that? I mean how can you watch the saw in the cut and keep your head up for debris coming down?
Thanks
Lawrence

You can't...not always anyway. I've lost two falling partners from stuff that shook loose from above. From what we could tell neither one ever knew what hit him.

Take a careful look above you before you ever start cutting.
Look not only at the tree you're working on but any trees that it might tag on the way down. If there's an obvious widow-maker you can keep a better watch and be ready to boogie out of there

Keep glancing up as you cut...it's one of the best safety measures there is...but there's no way to keep stuff from hammering you. It just goes with the job. Everybody gets clobbered eventually. Some get through it...some don't.

 

[Greystoke]

Well guys, I got hit square in the face yesterday and managed to make it to a neighbours before I bled to death and I wasn't fooling around.
I was dropping a double stem pine that joined 4 ft. above an 18" stump. The first stem fell ok, but because I was cutting over my head I was sloppy about the undercut and got the second stem hung up. No biggy, I just cut it 6 ft. above the stump and next thing you know, I was pounded straight in the face out of nowhere. Blood was filling my eyes and it was all I could do to make it out of the bush. Then a 150 mile drive to emergency.
It's a wonder I didn't lose my eye.
I'll go back out to the accident scene and take pictures. This is the most serious accident I've had in my 29 year career. This happened yesterday at 1:30 pm. I can hardly see what I'm typing.
John

Glad to hear you made er outta that one okay pard! Heal up and get back out there. You might have to get used to sleeping with that eye open til it heals up...least that was my experience...took a couple years fore I could close it again. Take care of yourself

 

[stihl sawing]

Wow, Glad you made it to the neighbors. Man, That looks like it hurt. You better take care of yourself for a while and get the face back. We feel for ya John. This thread will make us more careful from now on, So you might say your misfortune will help someone else. Sorry for the accident, You heal up and get back with it.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Wow, Glad you made it to the neighbors. Man, That looks like it hurt. You better take care of yourself for a while and get the face back. We feel for ya John. This thread will make us more careful from now on, So you might say your misfortune will help someone else. Sorry for the accident, You heal up and get back with it.

Thanks SS, I was probably due for an accident, as usually everything just flows and I try visualize what will happen before it does, but I got it this time and will bounce back if there is no infection.
I never believed I was impervious but I got hit and will live and learn from it and maybe we can all prevent some accidents that may otherwise happen to ourselves or others.
John

 

[Philbert]

Glad that you are 'OK' Yukonsawman. Looks like it will take a while to heal.

I have been hit very very hard twice when wearing a hardhat, both times the hardhat and the suspension was totally trashed.

A lot of people don't understand that a hard hat is intended to be a consumable item, and that the suspension is designed to absorb a lot of the force. It's why the manufacturers tell you to replace the suspension periodically and not to store things like packs of cigarettes up there. Pretty cheap insurance for $10 - $20.

Philbert

 

[056kid]

What is wrong with keeping smokes under there? I doubt they are going to impair the effectiveness of the suspension. . .

 

[Gypo Logger]

What is wrong with keeping smokes under there? I doubt they are going to impair the effectiveness of the suspension. . .

I use to carry a pressure bandage up there as well as cigs, but on the West Coast they tend to turn soggy. Lol
John

 

[Greystoke]

What if?

One thing a guy can pretty much count on if he is in this business for a while is...you can be as safe and cautious as possible, but it is not a matter of IF you are going to get hurt, but rather, WHEN, and how bad. I heard that a bunch by the old hands when I was still green...and learned over time, that they were right! Sometimes #### happens, and a guy cannot let it get in his head. If there was something he could have done, then he learned a valuable lesson...if it was a freak thing and he drives himself batty with how it happened and cannot think of a way to prevent it, maybe minimize it, but not prevent it...then laugh to yourself, grin and bear it, and keep on workin, and realize that this is one of the most dangerous occupations there is, and also, one of the most glorious!

 

[RandyMac]

Yeah Cody!!
and the harder you push it, the more chances you have of injury, trust me on this one.

 

[hammerlogging]

One thing a guy can pretty much count on if he is in this business for a while is...you can be as safe and cautious as possible, but it is not a matter of IF you are going to get hurt, but rather, WHEN, and how bad. I heard that a bunch by the old hands when I was still green...and learned over time, that they were right! Sometimes #### happens, and a guy cannot let it get in his head. If there was something he could have done, then he learned a valuable lesson...if it was a freak thing and he drives himself batty with how it happened and cannot think of a way to prevent it, maybe minimize it, but not prevent it...then laugh to yourself, grin and bear it, and keep on workin, and realize that this is one of the most dangerous occupations there is, and also, one of the most glorious!

Glad you're going to heal up. Best to you.

 

[Philbert]

What is wrong with keeping smokes under there?

The hard, plastic shell distributes the force to the suspension, and the suspension stretches (and/or breaks) to absorb the force, and to distribute it across a larger area of your head. If there is something in-between the shell and your head, the force gets transmitted directly to your head.

While a pack of cigarettes or a pressure bandage are soft, and not as bad as wearing a hard hat without a suspension, they limit the amount of stretch and the effectiveness / amount of force that can be absorbed.

These are classified as Type 1 helmets and only protect from impact from above.

Bicycle (and some climbing) helmets work differently, relying on the individual beads of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam to crush and absorb the force, and to transmit it to a larger portion of your head. They also protect against force from multiple directions. These fit more closely and do not have space for cigarettes, etc.

Type 2 hard hats use the EPS foam for both side and top impact protection. They look identical to Type 1 hard hats from the outside, but you will see the foam liner on the inside. They are required by some industries or companies, and by some countries.


Philbert

 

[056kid]

I dont smoke cigarettes, but If I did, that would be where I would keep em. Ive had suspension break before, 12 or 13 cigarettes up against the dome have to feel better than lumpy aluminum. . .

 

[Gologit]

While a pack of cigarettes or a pressure bandage are soft, and not as bad as wearing a hard hat without a suspension, they limit the amount of stretch and the effectiveness / amount of force that can be absorbed.




Philbert

Nice post Philbert but the real reason not to carry smokes in your hardhat is because your head sweats and it makes the smokes soggy and hard to light.

Everybody knows this, Philbert.

 

[056kid]

That makes some good sense. A guy I worked with keeps his swisher sweets under his hat. Maybe they are more moisture resistant than regular smokes, or maybe the concentrated peppermint schnapps he sweats out helps to ignite them haha. . .