Treework Accident in Shropshire

[blazer]

Don't have full detail, but my son's girlfriends Dad who works and lives in Shropshire, had an accident a few days ago. From what we have heard he was working on a hangup with a chainsaw and the truck kicked back, trapping him against another tree, one leg was crushed and he's had major surgery in hospital.

 

Any more detail and I will update. I haven't met him but from the parties my son has been with him he knew how to enjoy himself, hope he gets better soon.

[JimM]

Ouch! Hope his surgery is successful and he gets well soon.

[Marula]

Don't understand what happened... hangup?...truck kicked back?

[Al Cormack]

Don't understand what happened... hangup?...truck kicked back?

 

Think he meant 'trunk'....

[blazer]

Think he meant 'trunk'....

 

Sorry, how my bad spelling changed what happened, as far as I know the tree kicked back, almost severed his lower leg. He's in for more surgery tomorrow and expected to stay in for 6-weeks.

 

Hopefully, I will find out more in the next few days, he lives in a rural part of Shropshire near Telford.

[Minotaur]

Fingers crossed he has a positive outcome

 

All the best

 

Chris

[Mark Bolam]

Hope he heals well mate.

 

Thoughts are with him, and you.

 

If you find out exactly went wrong, please post it.

 

I'm not being morbid, but it could save someones life.

 

Whenever we hear about serious accidents or even deaths, there is never any feedback.

 

If I ever maim or kill myself, I would want my fellow arbs and foresters to know the facts, so it reduces the chances of it being repeated.

[kentjames]

Thoughts and well wishes are with the guy for a speedy recovery, and with his family...

 

It only goes to demonstrate why so much emphasis is made when initially doing 30/31 on dealing with hung up trees and this only goes to show the need to be very aware of escape routes and danger zones. Alas all the training in the world cannot prepare you for every real world situation but i always am especially careful with hung up trees.

[blazer]

Hope he heals well mate.

 

Thoughts are with him, and you.

 

If you find out exactly went wrong, please post it.

 

I'm not being morbid, but it could save someones life.

 

Whenever we hear about serious accidents or even deaths, there is never any feedback.

 

If I ever maim or kill myself, I would want my fellow arbs and foresters to know the facts, so it reduces the chances of it being repeated.

 

Many thanks, thats why I posted so it may help prevent 'the next one' it may be a while before I find out exactly what happened, I assume he was not working alone. For anybody who enjoys an outdoor life the thought of a crushed leg is one of horror.

 

When I was an apprentice in a large factory, the stories of accidents did help make us all the more aware. I remember say 20 yrs ago seeing a glass filled with flowers placed by the family of a lad killed on his first day working on a motorway, so I taught my son as much as I could about site safety as he grew up but not knowing what he would do in the future. As it turned out he's a climber so all the culture of safety helped, but even for me I accept it still risky working with trees.

[blazer]

Update on accident. He was felling a Norway spruce, it hungup and kicked back - not sure if it was a hinge fail or came off the stump afterwards, but the tree kicked back and trapped his leg, then the tree twisted almost severing his leg.

 

He was working alone but had his mobile phone in his pickup, so laid there trapped with a crushed leg, until a dog walker happened to be walking by. The dog walker used his dog lead above the wound to stop the lose of blood, until the air ambulance arrived.

 

He has had major surgery twice and is expected to stay in hospital for at least 6 weeks.

 

Only from what I know crush injuries can be dangerous as broken tissue can enter the blood system causing clotting in other areas, also his leg may be at risk from infection and it's not known until much later if it will be possible us have full use again.

 

Hope he does make a good recovery - even after years, it's always possible to have an accident. It will make me think more in future.