Seconds or Weeks?

[Stant82]

Last Monday I was cleaning up a couple of red oaks that had damage from our recent winter storms. It was one of those jobs that you have to move every branch multiple times because it gets hung up on everything else around it. I was frustrated that work seemed to be slower than I would like it and my mind was focused on everything except the job at hand.
We were almost done with only a couple of more cuts to make. In my haste to move on I decided not to lanyard in before making a "routine" cut.
And cut right through my climbing line.
I dropped 20ft and landed on my back. I woke up to hearing my groundies on the phone with EMS and then all I remember is a quick trip to the hospital.
45 min after the fall I had time to think. Staring at the bright lights on the ceiling of the E.R. feeling the effects of my wounded pride and the lovely narcotics pulsing through me, I realized that 3 seconds of paying attention to the job at hand and taking the necessary safety steps would have changed everything.
I've got multiple pelvic fractures 6-8 cracked ribs and quite a few bruises on the inside. I'm lucky, I can still walk and am told that I should be back to form in 6-8 weeks.
Don't make the same mistake I have. Focus on now! Think about later on the ground when the job is done.
Friends, take the seconds to do it right or join me in the weeks thinking about the seconds.

I Hope this can be helpful to all.

Stan

 

[easyphloem]

Damn Stan! Was that a chainsaw you cut your rope with, or a handsaw? Glad you are going to be ok.

SZ

 

[KYAPLE]

Thank you for sharing. I wish you a successful and speedy recovery. I too also every now and then find myself thinking about other things than the task at hand. I am i running the crew to its potential? Are we being as efficient as possible? What if i switched crew member rolls how would that effect moral? They seriously want to take a break already? we just got started and developed a good rhythm! He's not going to take ANOTHER crap in the woods is he?! Forget it Kieran, none of it matters now we'll discuss it on the ground later focus on the climb.

Things like that haha best of luck with your time off,
Kieran

 

[Stant82]

Damn Stan! Was that a chainsaw you cut your rope with, or a handsaw? Glad you are going to be ok.

SZ

I cut through my line with my Echo. It was hidden from view on the other side of the branch I was removing.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I'm so glad that you get to share your story rather than an other outcome

You're right. How come we seem to think about seconds until later when we have minutes, hours, days and weeks to reconsider?

Mend quickly

 

[Adkpk]

Best of wishes Stan. Thanks for the story. Broken ribs ouch.

 

[treehumper]

We think of those seconds because they have meaning in hindsight. It's thinking about those seconds in foresight so their only meaning is how well they were spent in protecting our wellbeing.

Good to hear you've survived this. I'll take that back to top form with a grain of salt. Don't rush the recovery. Could you please track what the cost of the accident is and share it with us? That would be very helpful to all of us in understanding the real cost of those seconds.

 

[Raven]

Bummer man, thinks for sharing the tale.

I'll remember now to use the lanyard on that last "routine" cut of the day, it can be easy to forget/neglect.

 

[oldoakman]

not to derail, but to add to the thought processes here and perhaps bring some of treehumpers ideas in as well. several weeks ago i was doing some minor work for my boss at his house. we are friends socially was well as co-workers. he needed 2 limbs removed from an oak tree that were over his tool shed, no problem, right? wrong! i can't say any one event caused it, but by the end of about 1/2 hours work i had ruptured the tendon in my left ring finger. it was uncomfortable and my finger could not close to grip or make a fist. long story short, i went to the dr, and scheduled surgery. the 1/2 hour proceedure turned into a 2.5 hour deal. i am now flying on one wing, can't tie my shoes, looking at 6 weeks minimum in a splint and 6 more weeks after that before i can think about climbing again. i will track costs and post them here. i get the titches out on monday, i've counted 35 in all. lesson is, work safe and smart. serious injuries cost a lot more than just the dr bills.

 

[Raven]

ruptured a tendon? sounds scary, how exactly does this happen?

 

[oldoakman]

overloaded WLL and cycles to failure. just like parting a rope. i didn't really know i did it til the veru end of the work and my finger wouldn't bend when i asked it to so i think it was a combination of several stresses in that time that combined. a year ago i tore a calf muscle and i knew immediately that i did it. i could hear it release and of course i felt it.

 

[Raven]

Yowser, take it easy man, and everybody else too, we only get one body.

 

[Stant82]

Well, I can tie my shoes. Getting to them has created a challenge!

 

[oldoakman]

we make a pair but i don't know of what.

 

[treehumper]

Thanks OldOak, it's very illuminating when we really look at the costs and the new impediments due to injuries. It really brings into focus what the value of safety is. My finger while functional is nowhere near what it was and that then extends to the use of the hand when grasping, gripping and manipulating. Sensations in the finger are dulled and aches arise from actions that once were taken for granted or from nothing at all but a change in the weather. We soldier on but the consequences of those "seconds" are felt for the rest of your life.

 

[oldoakman]

update on cost of injury: got the doctor, hospital and PT bills last week on my finger injury. full cost of treating this injury totals just over 24,000. thank goodness i'm covered by good insurance. after they do their creative accounting, my out of pocket will be less than 1,000. but i'm still loosing income from the work i can't do. have at least 9 more weeks of PT.

 

[Rich_O]

wow I thought it was bad when I had my bicep tendon rebuilt, it's nothing compared to what you two are going through. I hope for a speedy recovery for the both of you.

 

[BRT]

Thanks for sharing. Hope you heal quickly, but more importantly, completely.

 

[treehumper]

update on cost of injury: got the doctor, hospital and PT bills last week on my finger injury. full cost of treating this injury totals just over 24,000. thank goodness i'm covered by good insurance. after they do their creative accounting, my out of pocket will be less than 1,000. but i'm still loosing income from the work i can't do. have at least 9 more weeks of PT.

Wow, good insurance! Now the tallying of lost income and what cost to the company for the loss of your services.

 

[oldoakman]

Since I work for a muni and am in a management role, my primary income is unaffected. My side income has taken a serious hit though. Because of my city position, i am in a direct regulatory position over private companies, consequentially, i try to limit my side work to services that are not offered by the local companies. it is a bit tough dragging 100 feet of hose around a property. The cost number ,remember, what was billed by the hospital and doctor. Once that goes through the insurance,it is much less since it was in network, but still good insurance!