Chainsaw accident

montanagrizzly

montanagrizzly

Earlier this week, another climber and myself were on a job removing deadwood from some ponderosa pines. I had just climbed to the top of a pine, when my other climber yelled to me that he had just cut himself with his chainsaw. I hurried out of my tree to check him out. He cut his leg open right across the kneecap.

His first instinct was to apply a tourniquet. I advised him that a tourniquet was not a good idea. We were only five minutes from the hospital and his bleeding was not that bad.

I am certified in first aid and cpr and my other climber is not. If he would have applied a tourniquet there is a chance he could have lost his leg.

A tourniquet is only necessary in a life or death situation. If a person is bleeding a to a point that he could die, then apply a tourniquet. Otherwise apply direct pressure with a bandage, shirt or anything avaible, and get to the hospital asap.

First aid should never be overlooked, in this case my climber would have done more bad then good because he didn't know any better.
 
You've got to tell us the rest of the story. How did the fellow fair at the hospital? Can you give us an idea of what lead to the accident?

Besides direct pressure, elevating the wound above the heart, if posssible is a good idea too. Be prepared for shock.

Tom
 
He did go into shock right away, he couldn't feel any pain. He recieved 17 stitches and has to have his leg in a brace for at least a week. He got lucky, didn't hit any tendons or ligaments.

Here is what I think happened. He was almost done with the tree and he must have had a branch to cut right above his leg. I don't know if fatigue and his eagerness to hit the ground came into play or what. He is pretty new to the game and probably wasn't paying enough attention to what he is doing.

I am worried that this accident might have scared him right out of the business. He has always talked about seeing a similar accident as a kid, and how it made him scared of chainsaws.
 
Buy the boy a nice japanese handsaw and a get well card. (Light-heartedness should also speed recovery.) Aint life strange? How did this affect your insurance? Iam curious to know how big is your company and a ballpark figure of what is your insurance cost per month.
 
coclimber, the femoral artery(i think its femoral) is right at the top of the thigh - pressure there will stop bleeding without tying off the leg. you are right about proper trainning in first aid - essential - it sounds like you saved this guy some unnecessary leg trouble and kept a cool head in a bad situation, some applause to you for that. i wonder, since this guy was new to the game, what kind of chainsaw safety and useage trainning was he given? i agree with another responder who said get him a handsaw. get some more chainsaw experience on the ground before he take one in the tree maybe.
 
I want to bring up one point about this accident that has to be addressed. Why was the cutter not wearing chainsaw protection pants? A pair of UL classified pants would do just fine and may have prevented the accident completely. Sherrill sells these pants as would any well stocked chainsaw equipment store. Here in Canada, I wear STIHL UL classified pants with a threshold chain speed of 3000 feet per minute. They are not that heavy or hot enough to risk an injury by not wearing them. $100 dollars a pair is small beans compared to the medical bills.

When I started climbing in Detroit, MI it was pretty common not to wear any protective pants simply because they were too hot and nobody enforced any rules on wearing them. I thought it was great until I moved back to the homeland and had to get used to wearing them. After a close call with a kickback to the right shin, I realized just how safe 12 layers of ballistic nylon can be.

No offense, instead of buying the guy a new japanese handsaw buy him a pair of pants and suspenders to match. He'll feel safer and more confident with a chainsaw handling course also.

Dave Hare
ISA Certified arborist
 
good point BUK. are those pants or chaps mandated wear in the US. anyone know that answer? i mean if they are or not, it still a good idea to wear them.
 
As far as I know they are required for any groundwork using a chainsaw. Climbers and bucket workers are exempt from this rule in the United States. What I cannot find are the minimum ratings required for pants or chaps in the US. Does anyone one know if minimum even exist?

Dave
 
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