This is a very wise statement and speaks volumes. If only I would listen.
How are you feeling?
How are you feeling?
Can I play? I was attacked by a tree…
Several years ago, I needed to remove a fairly large branch which would have been above where I was about to build a shop. I set my ladder so the branch wouldn’t bounce and knock my ladder out from under me. It was a large branch…and heavy.
I cut the branch and it started to fall away from me and I looked away. When I looked back, it had fallen, the branches absorbed the fall like a coiled spring and the thing was coming back at me, FAST!
I grabbed hold of my ladder as hard as I could.
The tree hit me at an angle and I immediately thought how it must feel getting hit in the chest by the steering wheel in a car accident. The tree crossed my chest, got under my overalls and tore the snaps off. It had me and my shirt pinned against the tree pretty high up. I dropped my saw from over 10 feet up. I couldn’t move the tree so I just started dropping/sliding down the ladder. My shirt stayed pinned to the tree.
When I made it to the ground, my coveralls dropped to the ground as the snaps on the chest and both sides were ripped off. I’m standing in my underwear and shirtless thinking I was about to die it hurt so bad. I remembered some talk in training about an officer was shot over the heart with a bullet proof vest that killed him because of the blunt force. I wondered if I was bleeding out inside because I ripped an artery. When I thought I could move, I pulled up my pants and tried to walk to the house (about 30 yards). I made it to the garage door and I couldn’t open it as my eyes were unfocused and I couldn’t find the knob. I passed out and peed myself a little. When I started focusing again, I thought at least my wife will find me as she will have to step over my body. I decided to make myself get up and somehow made it to the couch where I collapsed. I tried calling to my wife but could barely speak. I finally decided to try to whistle which I somehow got out. She came into the living room and all I could say was “emergency room.”
I don’t remember much other than when they gave me a shot and the pain went away. For a short time. I fractured 4 or 5 ribs and my clavicle. Oh, and the next weekend, I caught a cold and sneezed for 24 hours which liked to have killed my in its own way.
Several years ago, I needed to remove a fairly large branch which would have been above where I was about to build a shop. I set my ladder so the branch wouldn’t bounce and knock my ladder out from under me. It was a large branch…and heavy.
I cut the branch and it started to fall away from me and I looked away. When I looked back, it had fallen, the branches absorbed the fall like a coiled spring and the thing was coming back at me, FAST!
I grabbed hold of my ladder as hard as I could.
The tree hit me at an angle and I immediately thought how it must feel getting hit in the chest by the steering wheel in a car accident. The tree crossed my chest, got under my overalls and tore the snaps off. It had me and my shirt pinned against the tree pretty high up. I dropped my saw from over 10 feet up. I couldn’t move the tree so I just started dropping/sliding down the ladder. My shirt stayed pinned to the tree.
When I made it to the ground, my coveralls dropped to the ground as the snaps on the chest and both sides were ripped off. I’m standing in my underwear and shirtless thinking I was about to die it hurt so bad. I remembered some talk in training about an officer was shot over the heart with a bullet proof vest that killed him because of the blunt force. I wondered if I was bleeding out inside because I ripped an artery. When I thought I could move, I pulled up my pants and tried to walk to the house (about 30 yards). I made it to the garage door and I couldn’t open it as my eyes were unfocused and I couldn’t find the knob. I passed out and peed myself a little. When I started focusing again, I thought at least my wife will find me as she will have to step over my body. I decided to make myself get up and somehow made it to the couch where I collapsed. I tried calling to my wife but could barely speak. I finally decided to try to whistle which I somehow got out. She came into the living room and all I could say was “emergency room.”
I don’t remember much other than when they gave me a shot and the pain went away. For a short time. I fractured 4 or 5 ribs and my clavicle. Oh, and the next weekend, I caught a cold and sneezed for 24 hours which liked to have killed my in its own way.
View attachment 442266
My buddy came to clean up the mess. That's how high it was and how big the branch was. I learned a lot that day.
My buddy came to clean up the mess. That's how high it was and how big the branch was. I learned a lot that day.
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Thank you for asking. Some days are worse than others as far as headache and neck pain is concerned. Still jumping through insurance hoops to see a Nero surgeon. But no complaints just learning patience.
Thank you for asking. Some days are worse than others as far as headache and neck pain is concerned. Still jumping through insurance hoops to see a Nero surgeon. But no complaints just learning patience.
Yeah. You will learn to have a LOT of that. Unfortunately. Nobody gets in a hurry when it's not them hurting.
OhEmGeee! I think you came a whole lot closer to dying than I did. I cannot imagine how sore you were -- ok, well, yeah I kinda can but DAMN!
It's interesting to me that you didn't get that "marked up". I was one gigantic bruise. My face looked like I'd done a round with Mike Tyson. When the guys at pain management saw me (3 days after my accident) they said I looked like Grumpy had beat the **** outta me. They were gonna ask but then when they saw him with me they figured something else had happened cuz no way I would have let him live if he'd whipped me like I looked like he did.
I'm kinda sorry you and preacherman know how I felt. I wouldn't wish that kind of misery off on my worst enemy.
You are lucky to still be with us! I used to do a lot of dozer/tree work. Have had a few falls. Trees are as predictable sometimes like a wild Bull, just never know how **** bounces and will come back on a guy.
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