Tree Climber Cuts His Hand With Chainsaw - "Viewer discretion advised"

Kenny Sanchez

Kenny Sanchez

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( I know by exposing this video i will be open to smart ass comments and know it alls, but wanted to show a simple accident could happen even with two hands on the saw and double tie in points.)

For those who don't know what i was doing: I have both srt rope runner and friction saver but left both in my other truck and i was not going to spike down 80ft off this spar. So I did an old school logger notch at the top to descend drt with zig zag.

And yes had two tie-in points, i knew i wasn't going to fall, it was all a natural human reaction to grab on to the tree.
 
Thanks for posting, Kenny, I hope you weren't injured too bad and heal up quickly. I see that your lanyard slipped off the stub, that's something I'll be watching out for in the future.
One question, why were you cutting on top of the spar?
 
Nothing like a chainsaw hitting your flesh to let you know who’s boss! That shit hurts, don’t it?
Hope you heal up soon bro, and I wouldn’t feel to bad. You spend your life running saws and their gonna get you every once in a while. Every tree man I know worth his salt has a few of those, so wear it like a badge of honor!
 
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I hope you heal well. Think I might start off the assholiness, I've seen a few of your videos you have posted here. Looks like, sounds like you think you know more than you do. Get some good mentorship in before you get worse. Looks like a little nip, hope that is all it is, there are some important things right under the surface.
 
One think i like to grind into the new climbers i work with is the importance of position stability. Tiny shifts like the lanyard in the video, or a spike slipping out can cause instinctual reactions like reaching out to grab near a running saw, even though you had two hands on it.
I noticed that kenny's position looked like he stepped up a few times without flipping his lanyard up to be level with his hips.
Another good thing to discuss might be the possible ways to get down off of a spar with a zigzag but no false crotch. IDK if Kenny just had to do one descent off the spar, but he would have had to cut the top out without a descent line pre-rigged. He has two ropes around the tree (tied in twice?) but neither one is a safe escape to the ground until he cuts that groove.
Im glad this seems like a close call and a minor injury. Thank you for sharing Kenny, hope you heal quickly and hope we all learn from this.
 
evo said:
The way we would do it is just a little v on each side, no need to do it like that..
Click to expand...


With a notched top (rare), or munter-hitch rappelling down a rigging line that's set to pull over a spar, I'll keep my spurs and lanyard positively in place as I rappel.
 
evo said:
The way we would do it is just a little v on each side, no need to do it like that..
Click to expand...
I have done it like that when need maximum leverage on pulling a rigging line, or if end of spar will land on rocks damaging rigging rope if was tied around the spar...
 
Been notching spars for decades when needed. As Evo said, a small v notch on each side. Not to be trusted with your life, so always keep flipline around spar on descent. Simple shit really.
 
Simple shit, where guys fall to their injury/ death because people do dum shit all the time.

You learned old-school, hands-on, from a mentor.



Side note, if you choke the RB on the back side of the spar, and run it up and over the top to the pulling direction, possibly through two small notches, you get maximum leverage, knot on top after the flop, and an easy way to cut a horizontal notch for the pull rope.

Chaplain, are you talking about two notches and a base-tie to avoid damage. Good trick.
 
Kenny Sanchez said:
( I know by exposing this video i will be open to smart ass comments and know it alls, but wanted to show a simple accident could happen even with two hands on the saw and double tie in points.)
......
And yes had two tie-in points, i knew i wasn't going to fall, it was all a natural human reaction to grab on to the tree.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing.

Not wanting to be a smart(or dumb)ass (which I may be), or know-it-all (which I am not), but I don't see how that injury happens with 2 hands on the saw. I know...natural human reaction and all. But just highlighting that this doesn't happen if you kept 2 hands on the saw.

Heal quick and get back after it!
 
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