Pics speak for themselves. I was lucky these were just stihl hedge trimmers. Kicking myself as I know better but always remember....Murphy lurks... Fwiw, this was after a vehicle breakdown, roadside repair, and calling in every favor I had. No excuses....I got lazy. I usually wear my chaps with the 30" hedge trimmers. Today I was flustered and didnt. I'll spare you the pic of the jagged ripped flesh and scabs. Be safe people. And for those wondering, yes.. Murphy visited twice today. 2 pics means 2 f=$K ups. Stupid hurts.
I hear ha bro...I know a lot of murphys tricks, he's always on my mind. Glad you came out of it with nothing major.
Hope you didn't have to get stitched up, much. A lesson like that might well warn you off something much worse.
Murphy gets me at least once a day it seems! Those hedge trimmers will bite ya quick. Glad it wasn't worse
Ouch - looks like you caught it quick, but scary. I'm heading out for a fourth day of dropping trees in about an hour - glad I saw this - will help keep my head in the game! Cheers!
I had a near miss yesterday. I was working with a school forest volunteer crew doing trail clearing. I was running the saw and would cut out a dead fall then move onto the next one while the rest of the crew would toss the wood into the brush. I stopped to wedge a cut that was closing up on me. I pulled the saw out, set the brake and swung it around in my left hand so the bar was facing behind me. Thats when the bar smacked into the leg of a guy standing behind me who I didn't know was standing that close. Smacked him hard enough that when he jumped back the teeth ripped through his pants and took some meat too. Fortunately I maintain my saws so they don't spin the chain while idle and make a habit of using the brake when not cutting.
Good technique and user ship on your part Dan. I dont know why people like to get that close to others running a saw. It gives me the creeps having people around when sawing. We all move the saw all around our body without warning as we swap hands to move things, etc.
Oops. Good thing the chain wasn't spinning. (Like you said) tough sometimes having people in close quarters to you while your working with power equipment.
I think that guy learned his lesson too. I wore my chaps for weed whacking today because of this thread. ( over my shorts It was nice not having to worry about crap hitting my bare legs, and not sweat too much.
I cut a lot I'm summer in shorts and chaps. Really keeps you cooler. I get so sweaty on my legs it gets hard to move as the jeans cling from being wet, that and heavy as their wet.
Glad it wasn't worse. Shortcuts, well, sometimes you get away with it and sometimes not. Question is, what is worth the risk?
My best bud was here this last weekend. Before he left, he lifted up his shirt to show me his "nightmare" that almost got him. Scars and one gash up the right side of his belly. He works at a yacht company in the wood working shop, and is running saws and equipment all day long. He was home this time... he wanted to use his chopsaw and reached across it to plug it in... he had forgotten the last time he used it months before, the trigger switch had stuck in the "on" position... when he leaned across and plugged it in, it took off... he instantly pulled the plug as he felt the tug on his shirt. He knows he was incredibly lucky that the saw hadn't spooled all the way up yet. Easily could have walked right into his lower abdomen. We agreed that... there, got that over with, gonna never do that again, ever. Whew.