Be careful with chainsaws, invest use chaps

[Butters]

Two days ago I was cleaning up from our historic ice storm. I was cutting a small tree wrapped with grape vines when the saw whipped around and got my left leg right below the knee cap. In the scheme of things, I was lucky, I lost about 3 pints of blood, but did not tear any nerves or ligaments, just two vessels and muscle. A man in a nearby town died last week when he hit his femoral artery.
This could have been avoided if I I had purchased and worn a $70 pair of chaps. I have some ordered now and will never start another saw without them. My father witnessed it and rushed me to the hospital. He will be wearing chaps from now on as well. Be careful and use safety equipment.

 

[Egon]

Ouch! I'm glad it wasn't worse.

Just recently a local man was cutting under a hung up tree. He now has multiple broken bones including his back and severe internal injuries.

Stuff happens.

 

[Kernopelli]

Glad you're OK. Sounds like you were blessed by not suffering more serious damage.A good friend did the same thing doing storm clean up a few weeks ago. He didn't lose that much blood though... that's a lot of blood. People don't realize how much 3 pints is until they see it come out of somebody, that's a absolute blood bath (for lack of a more sensitive term).

 

[sal64]

also a pair of kevlar gloves about 28 dollars.

 

[Butters]

Thank you all. It indeed could have been much worse.
I also have a helmet with a screen on the way. I allways wear leather gloves, I will have to look into the kevlar ones.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Glad your OK.

That was bad enough...but you are lucky it wasn't worse.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Glad your OK.

That was bad enough...But you are lucky it wasn't worse.

 

[ampsucker]

just got my first pair of chainsaw chaps in the mail last week.

thanks to reading this little forum right here!

yes, i've been cutting wood for many years, never wore much special gear. last year invested in the forestry helmet, mostly for weed wacking because i wear glasses and couldn't find goggles that fit comfortably plus was tired of being hit in the face with rocks/branches.

now i think i have it all for cutting and hacking: gloves, boots, chaps, helmet with face screen, etc....

glad you are allright, and thanks to all on this forum i was able to learn from without having to make the stupid mistakes, er ah, learning experiences, myself! ;-)

(yes, i've made plenty of my own learning experiences along the way....)

amp

 

[sal64]

i also never cut wood alone.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Ouch that is a lot of blood. And those wounds aren't nice clean cuts...Hamburger meat comes to mind.. Thanks for letting us know that you are ok..I'm a believer in chaps and helmets and ear plugs and gloves myself.
I do work alone cutting wood on the ground. I won't work alone dropping tree's though. And I have my cell phone on me at all times.