There are many factors at play here. One is the sensationalism of "Chainsaw in the Neck!" The graphic (but not too graphic) pictures give a video game like feel, the interviews in the hospital lend a reality T.V. perspective.
In the end, the truth is that the climber's actions were STUPID. Let's just call it as it is. Bad body positioning, bad cutting technique, most likely a poor sling configuration. All this adds up to a prime example of the old adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Easily avoidable on all accounts, nothing "FREAK" about it!
Should this have resulted in a tragedy, we would be hearing how nice a guy he was, how he loved his friends and family, ect. Which is fine, but in cases of fatality we tend to sidestep to avoid offending those left behind. I get it. I am guilty of it as well.
However, in this case there is no need to walk on egg shells. The actions were dumb! The climber regardless of "experience" was in over his head. Things he had "gotten away with" before came home to roost. Looking at the before, during and after "matrix" of it all, the crew was just lucky in the aftermath of the cut. Training did not cone in to play, fate did. They can sit back and rationalize it all away and say "well at least we were prepared," but nothing could be further from the truth.
It reminds me of a valuable lesson in writing I was once gifted with. The object of the writing exercise was to delve into the story based on an assigned headline in a student newspaper. To find the "True" story, what it really meant for the readers. The headline was "School board to meet with all teachers Monday to discuss the school's possible closing"
As you would expect we all jumped into the ramifications of the school closing, the lost jobs, finding a new school, etc.
However, that was not the story. What I forgot was the perspective of the readers. The true story was no school Monday!
The headline from this incident reads "man survives chainsaw in the neck". But what is the hidden story? What is the "truth" here?
I will reach out to those involved in this incident. Friends in the area have already done so. These words I will say to those involved face to face, given the chance. The change we seek must come form the inside. I will endeavor to that task as best I am able.
Unsafe actions affect others, often more so than the person committing the unsafe act. Funerals are not for the dead. They are for those left behind. Workers' comp will cover the expenses of this fiasco without investigation. Totally ignoring the fact that stupid actions, lack of basic protocol and industry best practices led to this expensive, painful incident. That is money out of your pocket! Your pocket, my pocket, every body who goes out straps on the PPE, follows industry best practices and does the best they can in a hazardous profession.
Tony
