What Was Your Worst Accident?

Through a small bit of sucker growth on a weeping willow. Removal, so I was spiking up and cutting little stuff out with handsaw on my way to the tie in points. One laid across the wire after I cut it. I didn’t know it was on the wire, I grabbed it to toss it down, and was immediately like locked up as if someone had a pause button for me. I had the sucker touching the wire in my left hand, I just wanted to open my left hand and let go, but I couldn’t. I had to hit my left arm with my right hand to break the connection. It was so hard to make that little bit of motion happen.

I came out of that tree around 8am, called the boss, and told him I’m done for the day. There was two other capable climbers on the crew, me leaving wasn’t a big screwing for everyone else, so they went to a different job and I went home to be with my lady and my kids. I really needed my family after that incident.

Weeks later we did the job. I had a chance at round 2, but I chickened out and worked the ground while Eric climbed. It wasn’t particularly tricky, but I was spooked.
 
Through a small bit of sucker growth on a weeping willow. Removal, so I was spiking up and cutting little stuff out with handsaw on my way to the tie in points. One laid across the wire after I cut it. I didn’t know it was on the wire, I grabbed it to toss it down, and was immediately like locked up as if someone had a pause button for me. I had the sucker touching the wire in my left hand, I just wanted to open my left hand and let go, but I couldn’t. I had to hit my left arm with my right hand to break the connection. It was so hard to make that little bit of motion happen.

I came out of that tree around 8am, called the boss, and told him I’m done for the day. There was two other capable climbers on the crew, me leaving wasn’t a big screwing for everyone else, so they went to a different job and I went home to be with my lady and my kids. I really needed my family after that incident.

Weeks later we did the job. I had a chance at round 2, but I chickened out and worked the ground while Eric climbed. It wasn’t particularly tricky, but I was spooked.
takes a real man to admite you are scared:thumbup:
 
Slight tingle from a primary.

Tapped with the tips of Silky teeth. Left a zigzag of 7 tiny drops of blood.

Chronic strains...tendinitis.

On the rebound of my elastic climbing rope being eaten until cut by my chipper, I "punched" the bole with my trigger finger-to-hand knuckle, which took a few weeks or more to heal.
 
I cut through the hinge and did $2700 of damage to the neighbor's house maybe 14 years ago.

Fell out of a Bradford Pear in the dumbest of manners and broke my wrist, finished the job then to the ER, ~13 years ago.

Jumped off a roof being chased by a rolling log (storm work) broke my foot, finished the day, didn't go to the Dr, ~11 years ago.

Had a limb do $400 of damage to a roof ~16 years ago.

Everything else that I'm remember has been $150 or less.


Worst close call was being ~50' up, fixing to repel down, unhooked my lanyard and started leaning back into the 8 only to realize it wasn't connected to my saddle. That was ~16 years ago as well. I had forgotten about that until I drove by there last Wednesday.
 
That is friggin' brutal. Always worry about that when grinding aluminum

I’ve had lots of accidents. Years ago a chiropractor asked me if I had any bad injuries. I laughed and asked her if she wanted a list. She did. She was amazed I was still mobile. Better to be lucky than rich a rich old alcoholic once told me and she was spot on
 
I've been exceptionally lucky. Lots of instances where I'd be dead if it were setup slightly different. The biggest "incident" was having a 5/8" cable dropped on my head. I got a helicopter ride for that, but I was fine. The most life changing was the most banal incident. Did something to my back bullpinning stakes into compacted base. It's bothered me ~25 years now.

For climbing, nothing really. Maybe sticking a spur in my ankle :^D I don't climb much.
 
Grinding wheel exploded in my face in 95, lost 4 teeth and gained 63 stitches.
I saw a millwright in training get put on probation for grinding aluminum on a bench grinder before. I had no idea that was a possibility and it just as easily could’ve been me taking a chunk of aluminum to that wheel.
 
was wondering that as well? re. Al grinding

The boat builders here grind it all the time but that's with handheld angle grinders
 
I'm not understanding the physics. It melts and clogs, so it quits grinding as well. Why does the wheel come apart?
 
Not the worst, but the scariest. Set a throwline to rig up a tree. Got started dragging and chipping other stuff. A branch must have swept and grabbed a throw bag...180' of throwline across my neck in about a second. Managed to raise my left arm, the other throwbag wrapped around it and snapped the line on my neck. Almost completed a loop around my neck.

No long term injury but it scared the hell out of me.

Moral of the story, careful of lines around chippers. At 2000 rpm line wraps around damn quickly.

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