In 1990, growing up in the foothills of Sonora, CA, splitting, chopping and stacking firewood was a way of life for those who lived in the community. For my three older brothers, it was also the most hated household chore! Especially since the best wood - and best time of the year - to stock up was during the dog days of summer. It was definitely good to be the little sister of the bunch.
My brother, Mark, was at the helm one afternoon, while the other two unloaded wood and stacked nearby. He was swinging that maul, beating down a splitting wedge, prying open a round one crack at a time. Out of nowhere the chopping maul flew out of his hands and he ran like lightning up to the house yelling that he had been hit. None of us even knew what the **** he was talking about.
Outside the backdoor, my mother and I came to see why there was all of this hollering. Mark stood there, and it had probably only been a minute, but he was already white as a ghost. My mother told him to move his hand, let her see. And when he did, the wound from his neck erupted.
We weren't far from the hospital. Maybe a few minutes by car, 10 minutes by foot - you could practically see it from our upstairs balcony. It didn't matter, Mark had lost over half the blood in his body by the time we arrived. He was awake and cognizant, he knew he was dying and told us all in so many words. My parents were forever altered by this.
After 9 hours of surgery, every surgeon called in off duty, that small, jagged piece of shrapnel from the splitting wedge was pulled from his chest, after it had slice through his jugular, pierced his lung and finally his heart. It was a losing battle for those doctors, who all left that hospital in tears for not being able to save this young man. Mark died on Oct. 27, 1990; he was 16 years old.
The softening of metal on splitting wedges is an extreme danger, and you should always, always use precaution when using them. Shave them down, wear protection, and treat your equipment with respect. It is not worth the risk.
Kindly,
C. Clark
