Not so lucky Chainsaw accident

   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #1  

rox

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
2,073
Location
Salon De Provence - France
My husband really should not have been operating the chainsaw last Wednesday. He was not feeling well. He jsut finshed a massive, and I mean massive clearing project that he did all by hand with a lopers, a shainsaw and a brush cutter. He had worked really hard on that project for a good 2 weeks. last ednesday he just wasn't feeling well. he laid on the couch all morning and said he felt shaky, weak.

I did some ffice work int he morning and in the afternoon went outside to prune more olive trees. I guess he felt a little better but he still wasn't 100%,he sees me working outside and decides he will cut firewood as it was right next to where I was working. I go down the basement to get something out of the freezer for dinner and he calls me upstairs to take him to the hospital. No way was I going to look at that hand! I quickly called the uphill neighbor Claude (who si missing the first 2 fingers of his left hand do to a chainsaw accident!) he hustels us to the ER which is about 1.5 miles away. That part was nice. At the ER they wrap up his hand and tell him he has to go to the Hand Hospital, so they take him there by ambulance.

Final result a big cut on the top of the first 2 fingers of his left hand. The tendon was cut but not severed, and the bone was not cut. The docs said he was very lucky. However it does hurt like H E Doube Hocky Sticks!

If only he had been wearing gloves he probably would not have had as sever an injury. Plus my neighbor says he saw him cuttig firewood and he was doing it wrong. Since Claude already lsot 2 fingers to a chainsaw I can see how he would notice how others operate a chainsaw. My hubby was holding the lomb in is left hand and cutting with the chainsaw in his right hand. Apparently you should not use your left hand, you should use your foot to clamp down on the item to be cut.

I think he was jsut weak and not feling well and he should not have operated a chainsaw last Wednesday. Then to make matters worse his gout fired up on him and he couldn't walk, even to go to the bathroom. Fortunatley the doctors here make housecalls and the family doc came over yesterday and dianosed his gout and I made yet another trip to the pharmacy. He is having some reliefe with his gout today.

Bottom line, don't operate a chainsaw if you are feeling, weak, and light headed!!!!!!!!!!!!

docs say it will be 2 months at least to heal that left hand so tomorrow I have to do the spraying. The only good news is it is on his left hand and my hubby is right handed. So today I bought him a suicide knob (no pn intended on the name of the thing, that is jsut what I always remember them being called) for his tractor steering wheel so once his gout is better and he isn't in so much pain fomr his left hand, perhaps he will be able to drive the tractor eitht he nob ont he steering wheel, as int he next 6 weeks we need to spray at least 4 times and I am going back to the States for Mothers Day on May 10th. and won't be around to spray. I don't mind most of the spraying, but there is one section that i won't go up. You know how you always say to trust your gut, well my gut tells me that the slope is to steep and I am to afraind to go. So that area is jsut plain not going to get sprayed until my hubby can do it. it is probably about 60 to 70 trees, but I am not goona go up there.

Plsu he can't drive because of the stick shift, although tonight he did make me dinner for the first time in a week. I am really worried to go back home for Mothers Day and leave him alone on the farm.
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #2  
I think he's been very lucky, he still has the fingers unlike your neighbour. Good advice though goes for any machinery. Hope he has a swift recovery
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #3  
Evenin Rox,
Very sorry to hear of your husbands accident ! Good advice you relayed on this thread !

Getting back to him originally not feeling well, it almost sounds like weakness due to dehydration to me. I have had it happen to me before and its not pleasant. Working outside you need to hydrate frequently even when its not opressively hot !

Hope he heals quickly !
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #4  
Sorry to hear about your husband Rox but glad it was not more serious.
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #5  
Rox,

Sorry to hear about your husband. I pray that he will have a speedy recovery and thank God that it was not worse.

Also thanks for sharing with us. It kind of keeps us all on our toes.


murph
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #6  
Misleading subject line. He was quite lucky.
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #7  
Best wishes to your husband for a quick and full recovery. Thank you for sharing his misfortune, because it helps us all remember that the tools we use are unthinking, uncaring machines that will easily kill or maim us if we give them the chance.
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #8  
Thanks for sharing with us Rox. Your husband was extremely lucky. It could've been oh so much worse.

We're praying for his quick and full recovery.
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #9  
Speedy recovery wishes to your husband,and indeed your right about when it comes to chainsaws....one can never be to careful.
 
   / Not so lucky Chainsaw accident #10  
Please pass on our best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery. I would have to say though, that from the sounds of it, he did get very lucky.

I would bet that tired has caused more accidents than many other reasons combined.

Hope he heals well and is back at it soon. Glad he still has all his fingers to work with.
 
 
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