Be careful out there.

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Marley5

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Good friend of mine who is a farmer in WV dropped a dead Ash on his uncle and killed him on the spot.

Both older men and experienced but tree fell opposite of wedges.
They've cut together for many years and can tell you a thing or two about dropping trees but no matter the age and experience, it can be dangerous.

Be alert everyone and keep safe.
 
I fell trees for friends once in awhile and they always want to stand right there. I start cutting the notch then start into the back cut and then stop well before it would ever fall and then shut off the saw. I then explain what I did, where I expect the tree to go and why I did it and then have them stand back, well back of the height of the tree and where I can see them and then I start up my saw and finish the cut. If it's a group of people they all have to stand in one spot where I can see them and the brightest one stands in front of them to make sure no one gets any closer. I've also posted pictures here of trees that did surprising things too. It's best to spend that few extra seconds thinking before you push the saw to the final cut.
It all happens so fast. Going to be a tough row to hoe for your friend.
 
Sorry for your loss.

Brother in laws friend had his place logged off. Since he burnt fire wood to heat his house he was harvesting the tops.
One morning he fires up his JD A and hooked up the wagon headed out for the woods. He had been cutting fire wood alone for many a year and pretty much knew what he was doing. When he didn't return to the house for dinner the wife called the oldest son to come over and go back to see why his dad had not came to the house for dinner.
Son found dad face pressed into the soft ground dead from smothering they supposed.

A top he was working on they figure, he cut the wrong limb and the top rolled and another limb hit the back of his head forceing his face in the soft ground and he couldn't breath. Some guess that the limb hitting the back of his head may have knocked him out.

I still work in the woods alone but since then I am extra extra careful and leave instructions with wife what part of the woods I am going to be in so she can quickly find me if I am late for dinner or supper.

It is nice when I can have a partner in the woods with me but if felling trees we stay well away from each other.


:D Al
 
So sorry to hear this news.

It is a dangerous endeavor. Every year we have somebody badly injured or killed in the woods around here. Yesterday they life flighted a log truck driver who rolled his truck off a logging road.



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A former boss of mine was killed a few years ago. He had a Kubota loader tractor and was using a 2 prong bale fork to load logs onto a hay wagon. The bale prong are a type of spring steel. A log won't sit properly on the wagon so he hopped off, went to the end of the log and gave it a big push, the log bounced on the prong and bumped him on the side of his head. It didn't even break the skin but killed him instantly. Likely 25% or better of us guys on here cut alone, a simple mistake can be your last. Be safe fellas.
 
One of the smartest men I have ever known was killed falling a tree, partly because of his age I guess. He was pushin 80 at the time it happened. A bad way to go I guess but beats a slow death in a nursing home.
If a tree could get him, I had better be extra careful plus a little more.
I'm truly sorry for your loss.
 
My 70 year old uncle had a mishap at his daughters house a couple weeks ago . He went to “help” drop an oak tree. They yelled for him to leave the area but his stubbornness was too much. The tree fell on him. A little luck on his side when the tree happened to fall on his car. The tree didn’t pin him. Totaled car and tons of staples later he is recovering.
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My 70 year old uncle had a mishap at his daughters house a couple weeks ago . He went to “help” drop an oak tree. They yelled for him to leave the area but his stubbornness was too much. The tree fell on him. A little luck on his side when the tree happened to fall on his car. The tree didn’t pin him. Totaled car and tons of staples later he is recovering.
View attachment 738650


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Ouch. Hope he’s doing well.


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That is just awful news, I cannot begin to imagine how that must feel. My stepfather was killed while felling a tree. Had felled scores upon scores of yes in his lifetime. One day it got the best of him taking down a tree to open up light in his garden in NC. The tree went the wrong way and fell on him, his neighbor witnessed it from a distance not fully seeing everything. We believe that he tripped while trying to escape and the tree landed on him. Crushed his pelvis. He died in the hospital.
 
I have my horror story but first sorry for your loss. a buddy and I were felling about four years ago, tree he was on snapped while he was cutting his notch pinching his saw, I went to cut him out and long story short that 18-24" oak did a back flip, caught me high on my back, threw my saw and tree came down on my left side, bounced up, and cam down again pinning me, buddy tried to lift it, to no avail, then grabbed saw and started cutting near me, I got out somehow, six broken ribs four on left two on right side, punctured and collasped lung, bruised lungs and heart, bruised and lacerated spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands. walked away and drove the 4 speed power wagon seven plus miles home, then spent two night in the hospital, noone there could believe I was alive even let alone walking in there and around the hospital the very next morning, I am very lucky for sure, stay safe Fellas.
 
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