Like a lighting strike ...

[DAP]

I read in the Times Herald Record this weekend, an Orange County NY paper the following:

A well known local dairy farmer, with a herd of 113 holsteins, was skidding a large ash tree out of the forest for a client who was gonna buck it for firewood.

His friend was driving the tractor that had 3 large chains used to skid this ash from the 3PH. The farmer was trailing on foot at what he thought was a safe distance. The tractor approached a slight incline and the tree rolled. A large sencondary branch rolled up and over as the tree rolled striking the farmer in the head. After an immediate coma, the fellow passed 2 days later without gaining conciousness.

This farmer was running his dairy operation all of his life as the farm was passed down through 4 generations or so. He was a bachelor all his life, no immediate heirs. On top of a gruesome uncessary accident, this farm will cease sooner rather than later, prolly sold off and developed (not to minimize AT ALL this human tragedy). A bad turn anyway you look at it. Heartbreaking.

The neighbors all are pitching in trying to keep up with the milking, feeding and cleaning while a suitable buyer for the cows can be found. This farm has died with this individual. I guess, if there's any kind of silver lining to this calamity, it was that this farmer died doing what he loved, and did not live to see his farm vanquished by social, economic and political encroachment on U.S. small farmers.

With the snap of a finger my friends ... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[44trxfun]

Grim, sobering reminder, DAP. I woman I worked with accidently fell through a small hole in the 2nd story of a barn being constructed. Put her in a coma with traumatic brain injury for 10 weeks (by some amazing miracle she's almost fully recovered!). Moreso than any event in my life, she reminded me life can change very quickly. I try to live each day with that in mind. Maybe we can all learn from these tragic accidents...

 

[Phred]

Sad story.

It is so easy to become comfortable with all the tools and equipment we use, but the truth is most of the stuff discussed on this site can kill you in a heart beat if you do not pay attention and think about what your doing.

The problem is how to be vigulant and not think " oh I have cut the field X times..... I can just take my seat belt off for a few minuites".

or

"We have pulled bigger trees with that tractor and chains.... no problem..."

Then in a second your dead....... or missing an arm.....

Fred

 

[DAP]

So true. Last year I was doing some maintenace to a garden tractor. Had it up on ramps cause it makes removing the mower deck feasible. I KNEW I shoulda chocked the back tires. I KNEW it. But I didn't and sure as sherlock that machine slid off one side of the ramp. My arm was under the mower deck (4' deck) at the time and only who know's what can explain why I didn't get that machine resting on my arm.

I got up, took inventory and wondered what made me dumb down so much. I hope not to re-create that situation anytime soon.

We can all "SAY" we learned from that, but the proof in the pudding will only be available if and until the next time sumpin dumb's someone down.

The sad part of the initial story I posted was that much more than a life was lost here, as if that weren't enough. Makes me ill thinking about it.

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[boustany]

When I was 20 or so, I was working underneath a Volvo. For some reason (arguably crass stupidity) I had a jack stand holding up one end of the differential/axel, with the wheel off.

The jack stand was under the brake rotor. I rotated the drive shaft, which caused the rotor to turn, and the jack stand shot backwards. The rotor (which was supporting the weight of the car through some huge coil springs) hit the concrete beside my leg, denting the rotor and pulling a big chip out of the floor.

My leg was so close to the rotor it was pinned by my pantleg. I couldn't budge the leg. If my leg would have been an inch closer to ground zero, they'd call me 'Hopalong' now.

So, it hasn't always worked, but whenever I'm working with a machine, or even watching, I think 'how can this this kill me or hurt me'. I've got a lot of scars, but still own most of the important appendages.

 

[markct]

my scareyest situation with jackstands was when i was taking the pickup head outa my NH baler, i had it up on jackstands since you need to take off both wheels to remove the driveshaft to the pickup head, well i was under there for a few hours beating, heating, torching, wrenching, prying and shaking the crap outa stuff to break free those 30 years of rust, finaly got the head out, figured out what i needed for parts and called it a day, the next day i came home from work and pulled in the driveway with the new parts in the truck and started walking up towards the baler, it seemed to look sorta funny, when i got closer i realized it had fallen off the jackstands during the night, i cant believe that it didnt fall while i was shaking it all around and stuff, someone was watching over me for sure to have that thing wait till i was out from under there and then just drop overnight with nothing even touching it!

 

[AndyM]

One of my lifelong friends and coworkers was killed last summer while changing the oil on his truck. He had the truck jacked up with the scissors jack that came with the truck, and while trying to loosen the drain plug, the jack slipped out and the truck fell on him.

All because of the need to save a couple of minutes or a couple of bucks on an oil change.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( someone was watching over me for sure to have that thing wait till i was out from under there )</font>

I'm sure your guardian angels' arms were quite tired when you finally got out from under there and they could set it down.

Soundguy

 

[MArvane]

Several years ago my wife's cousin was checking his cattle out in the pasture. He was pulling a stock trailer behind his large truck when some brush tangled undercarriage with the transmission linkgage. When he stopped and put it in park apparently he could not get it back into drive. It was the end of the day, he was probably dogged tired and hot, and not thinking. He crawled under the front end with the engine running and grabbed the tangled mess out from the linkage, which caused the tranny somehow to slip into reverse, which caused the truck to roll backward and pinned him by the neck with the front tire. His poor wife, looking for him since he was long overdue for dinner, found him that evening after dark out in the pasture. He left several young children behind.

I was popping some old fence posts out of the ground by wrapping a couple of turns of chain around them then looping it over my trailer hitch on my pickup. Worked fine until once when the fence post snapped, the chain slipped, and rocketed end over end (20 ft logging chain) over the truck cab---slamming into the back windshield---flew over the truck and landed about 30 ft beyond the front bumper. It happened so fast I couldn't have ducked if I wanted to. I was stunned---didn't think this could happen---and shocked to think if I or anyone had been in the path what would have happened.

Once I pointed out to my kids a flattened squirrel in the street and told them "some mistakes you make only once". Everyone please think not twice, but three times about what you are doing.

Michael
Cypress, Texas