Chainsaw Accidents Thread

[ciscoguy01]

I really wanna hear some stories about accidents that have happened to all/any of you's out there. I thought this'd be a cool thread to start and I'm willing to bet we'll get some great stories. I also think it would be a great way to let some other folks in on what CAN go wrong if your not safe.

My story goes back to when I was about 20 cutting wood with my ole' cousin. We were bucking trees, mostly beech and maple. I was cutting with an old Homelite Super XL, no chain brake, no nothing on it really, hell the handle even had duct tape on it. The logs were kinda criss-crossed and while cutting one it rolled and the tip hit another log. Needless to say it kicked up and bit me right above my eye, right to the bone in my eye brow. Blood everywhere, if I had a brake this would have been much better. I got lucky, it was only about 1" long and didn't hit my eye itself. Funny thing, my cousin told me to go get some ice water on it to clean it out. I'm dumping the ice water on my eye and he screams at me not to use it all, we still got a lot of work to do, lmfao. That was funny. A few months later I got it again in the forehead with a 56Mag, it had a brake on it luckily and only left a small mark where the tooth hit me. Both times I should've had a shield and Safety glasses on, but back then we never wore anything. Odd what you learn eh? Let's hear some guys...

 

[stevethekiwi]

I know a widow that buried her husband a few years back due to chainsaw accident. He cut through his leg and bled to death. Here's how the accident could have been avoided:

1. Try to never work alone. If you are working alone, tell someone and give an ETA of finish time and a location where you are working.

2. Keep a first aid kit with you. It only needs to be a few pressure bandages and tape if need be.

3. Keep a flare in your truck. It means you only have to crawl to your truck rather than crawling to the nearest road etc.

 

[sILlogger]

as far as cutting myself ive done the bulk of my damage with the saw shut off. slips while sharpening, falling w/saw, gouging the spikes into my leg(usually right around my right knee) laid a wot 395 husky across a brand new pair of chaps along my left knee one day-cutting timber in the rain on steep ground and slipped. ive had tree limbs fall out of trees and hit me. had my hard had knocked off by stuff falling. had a little branch harpoon me in the face a week or so ago just as i looked up. got in a hurry one day and had a tree top roll over on top of me-came right down on top of my head, knocked me into the ground-i don't guess it pinned me..i was up before i ever really knew it happened. alot of little stuff for me..and hopefully i don't ever have anything too bad happen. got plenty of scars the way it is

 

[rxe]

I cut myself on the shin with a little 024 last year - not a big cut, but it bled like a stuck pig and frightened me a lot as it could have been much worse. I was simply tired at the end of a day and being careless chopping up firewood. I've learned two lessons:

- Pack in the cutting before you get too tired. Exhaustion and rushing to finish the job don't sit well with chainsaws.

- PPE that you don't wear is useless. I had a pair of chaps, but they were so heavy and hot that I never used them. Yes, they would probably stop an 880 at WOT...but only if they were on me. I've now got a lighter pair of climbing trousers - less effective, but easy and comfortable to wear.

 

[husky hustler]

All in all, I have been fortunate. We did however have one of our rental units take a bite out of the guy renting. It was just a 350 and he wasn’t wearing the supplied chaps. Just more than a touch to his leg. Before any saw goes out, we stress safety, this guy was just one of those "I've been running a saw since before you were born" kinda guys.

 

[monkeymanjoe]

I am new here

I have done alot of pretty dangerous trees and walked away thinking "thank God I made it". I had a tree to top back in January of this year, it was only about 40ft. I figured that it wasn't going to be anything to "hairy". I can't remember too much of that day.., but what I do remember was the saw kicking back and then a terrible pain in my face. I remember talking myself down. As soon as I hit the ground I was out. I woke up 2 days later in ICU. I was put in an induced coma because of the pain. The surgeon lost count at 300 stitches. I have a steel plate in my left side of my face. I cut all my teeth so that now the roots are exposed.
The worst thing is that the owner of the company that I was working for said "Joe., who?" He was paying me under the table. I have been working for this guy on and off for about 10 years. But when I had the accident he said that I was an independent contractor. At this time I had been with him about 8 months. The accident happened on January 9th and at the end of January I receives a 1099 from the company I was working for.
I was in the hospital for 10 days and my former employer never once called or showed up to see me. Don't get me wrong he was there the day it happened. (This is what I was told). He sat out in the waiting room with my family. He told my fiance that he was going to pay for our wedding, that he would bring me back as a foreman and that he would help us with the mortgage payments for a while. But we are still not married, I had to find a new full time job and we are behind in the mortgage payments because I was out of work for 6 months.
He waited at the hospital till OSHA came, when they were done questioning him and his other employees he left to go play bingo at the casino.
I obtained an attorney and filed a claim with workers comp. I got denied. Because I own my own company and I was using my own chainsaw the day of the accident. The judge also said that because my boss was not there to supervise me and to see the finished work that meant that I was not an employee.
Well first of all, I just started my own company and there was no way for me to stop working full time. I did my thing on the weekends. Secondly how many of you men use your own chainsaws working for someone else.? Lastly does the owner of a tree company always come to the job site and sit there till the job is done?
I am appealing the decision. But until then I have to deal with the pain from my teeth because I don't have the money to pay to have them fixed. I am in the Dr's. office about once a month because my mouth is infected and because of the pain.
I am sorry for rambling on. I just needed to vent. Is there anyone else who has dealt a situation like this? If so feel free to contact me. I would like to hear someone say that they had a happy ending in a similar situation.
Thanks for listening.

 

[2dogs]

Thank God you are still alive. There is an injury forum just up the page from here. This is a good story to post there.

 

[tree md]

Although I learned of the dangers of raking the tip of a chainsaw when I was young, I still managed to hurt myself pretty good with a kickback incident. I didn't get cut but got thrown out of a tree and fractured my heel. Was taking down an old, brushy pine, spent half a day dismantling and lowering an old TV antenna that was in top of the 100+ pine, 4' DBH.. The tree was covered in ivy and was a ????? to climb. I had already climbed it twice on rope. Misjudged my drop zone on the spar and decided to drop it in two pieces. The customer had a 20' ladder on site and I decided to take a shortcut on throwing the pole. Had my 044 upside down cutting the notch and it kicked back rocking me on the ladder. I would have been fine if I had tied in :bang:. I decided to jump for a controlled fall, about 16 feet. I have dropped that far before with no injury but I decided to hold my 044 until just before I hit the ground. Would have probably still been alright but I hit a buried concrete step in the side yard that grass had grown over. Drove my climbers heel on my boots right through the bone. Took me out for awhile...

Besides that, I have stuck a climbing spike through my big toe while swinging from tree to tree (still took down 9 trees that day before I took my boot off and looked). Also nicked my forearm with my 192T... :greenchainsaw:

 

[tree md]

Oh yeah, I worked for myself and had no one to sue... My own fault....

 

[Adkpk]

Monkey man that is some first post. Sorry for you there. Welcome to the site.

Knock on wood, I would like to say, not everyone comes in contact with the wrong end of a saw. I've got some stitching done dragging my knuckles over a few lawnmower blades but never cut myself from a running chainsaw. Although these stories are chilling, this is good medicine for anyone using power tools.

 

[MNfarmer]

Had 14 stitches right above my left knee from tripping over some brush while helping a friend cut firewood. If I would have been using my saw it wouldn't have happened because at idle his chain didn't shut off and mine do. Lesson learned ; use your own saw!!!!!

 

[TechAlG]

The worst I have ever done is broken three bones in my foot with a maul. Took a swing with the maul, glanced off the log, and hit my boot, right behind the end of the steel toe.

Worst ever with a chainsaw was a cut to my forearm while sharpening. Some people say that I work slow; I prefer to think of it as working safe.

 

[ciscoguy01]

Guard

The worst I have ever done is broken three bones in my foot with a maul. Took a swing with the maul, glanced off the log, and hit my boot, right behind the end of the steel toe.

Worst ever with a chainsaw was a cut to my forearm while sharpening. Some people say that I work slow; I prefer to think of it as working safe.

Dudeeeee, get yourself some of those boots with metatarsal guards, they make them out of carbon fiber now, even the Steel toes can be carbon fiber instead. Much warmer in winter, more comfortable, and just as strong...

 

[g.moore]

Haven't been bit by the saw yet but I did get into a scuffle with an axe over the weekend, slipped and got myself just inside the kneecap. Wife held it togethor and I sewed it up, 6 stitches. I hit an unseen knot splitting some kindling and the wood went away from me and the axe went toward me.

 

[Sawin]

Ouch!

Full swing with a pulp hook...missed the wood and put it into my shin....took a very long time to heal....

 

[2dogs]

Monkeymanjoe posted this in the "injuries" thread and he added links to two images. He could have dang near cut his own throat. Joe I hope the healing goes well. Prayers out.

 

[sneno77]

Fortunately, I've yet to bleed from the saw blade, but I've tried to learn my lessons through close calls. My first year on the FS saw crew I got my chaps pretty good. It was almost the end of a 10hr day and fatigue had definately set in. Figured out after that why they stressed "safety breaks". I also have one old pair of winter boots that I keep as a reminder not to put my foot up to hold a log in place while cutting it...I don't wear them anymore because they don't seem too hold out the snow/water very well anymore

I grew up w/ a healthy respect for saws, visiting my dad in the hospital twice after logging accidents. Thankfully he's still here to tell me the stories when I get a little lax on safety..in fact, we cut about 4 cords today for him and mom.

 

[one2tree]

as far as cutting myself ive done the bulk of my damage with the saw shut off. slips while sharpening, falling w/saw, gouging the spikes into my leg(usually right around my right knee) laid a wot 395 husky across a brand new pair of chaps along my left knee one day-cutting timber in the rain on steep ground and slipped. ive had tree limbs fall out of trees and hit me. had my hard had knocked off by stuff falling. had a little branch harpoon me in the face a week or so ago just as i looked up. got in a hurry one day and had a tree top roll over on top of me-came right down on top of my head, knocked me into the ground-i don't guess it pinned me..i was up before i ever really knew it happened. alot of little stuff for me..and hopefully i don't ever have anything too bad happen. got plenty of scars the way it is

All sounds very familiar 15 yrs here an many lessons learned in the school of hard knocks plenty of thankfully reasonably minor scars an scares too .

 

[one2tree]

Ive had two stitches from a broken tip hand saw hanging out the bottom of a worn out sheath. Cut the branch with chainsaw an fed it over my self all controlled an slow to hand to a colleague on a veranda an the sheath with exposed tooth flipped up . ..... I've pulled my sock out of my boot from right behind the steel cap with a top handle saw I got two scratches ones from a cutter on each side of chain .no blood spilled. From not butting the saw up on branch at end of a long day........ Then there was the time..................

 

[user 122190]

Worst I've experienced is twisting an ankle while getting in and out of my cutting area. I try not to spend more then a couple of hours cutting. Fatigue wears in to attentiveness and good judgment.