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"I fought the saw and the saw won!" Please spare a thought for our friend BillW


BruceM

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I know Bill probably wouldn't start this thread on his own, but please keep him in your thoughts. He posted the following in the 4-3-2-1 Club party thread. We'll miss him tomorrow!!

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"I fought the saw and the saw won"

so it was a beautiful day. Along the creak in the back 3 acres are a bunch of American elm trees. Every year 1-3 of them die (DED I presume). I thought I would take advantage of the gorgeous day and cut one down and get it stacked up.

I have a 20" Stihl Rancher (great saw, btw). Cut down the tree no problem, started cleaning up the branches....It turns out one of the branches was a Virginia Creeper ...real thick one. as a approached it I put my left foot down ...behind the cut..and started cutting away from my foot. Something caught on the chain and the whole thing just sort ...blew up...I felt a pain in my left leg, and assumed that the branch broke and whiplashed into my leg/foot...kept cutting and realized the branch wasn't broken...started wondering what it was that hit my leg....then I looked down at my foot... As blood was pouring from a 4 inch gash in my shoe...I realized where the pain ws coming from and what happened.

The saw kicked back at least 2-3 feet right into my foot. It happend so fast and violently...I had no idea what happened.

Managed to get to the ER and after 5-6 hours of surgery...the prognosis was ...unknown. They reattached a tendon and fixed another one...lost a bunch of nerves and a chunk of flesh around the size of my thumb from the instep of my left foot.

I won't be walking for days/weeks...but some good news: When they redressed it at the Dr yesterday...I wiggled my toes (painfully...but still)

so now the prognosis is ...loss of sensation (permanent) but I will have at least some use of my toes.

One day at a time....

- Bill

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Here's a pic of Bill jamming out with his buds at the 4-3-2-1 earlier this year:

DanBillChris.jpg

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Oh geeze.

I have the same exact saw too....

and just finished up my downed tree with it...

I almost could not read the whole OP thread...

I am still shaking.

Best wished to you Bill and a speedy recovery.

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I lumber jacked for a few years while in my youth years in Montana ansd Wyoming.

Pictures of saw accidents related to human flesh let alone seeing with your own eyes

is something I do not recomend... Unless you like that kinda thing...

Plenty of horror movies that incline to that graphic material...

witnessing that type of trauma is totally a different thing.

again, all the best to you Bill.

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Good luck with that recovery.......I have had enough close calls, thankfully none with a chain saw----yet. Gave up in the bike long ago. Extra cautious around the table saw----Still have all 10 fingers, knock on wood.

Best wishes as you move on to better health.

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Sorry to hear of your misfortune Bill. Also hoping you have a speedy recovery. A poor fella just north of me had an accident last year with his saw while cutting down a tree. He had a chain attached to his suv and to the branch he was cutting. They started pulling to soon and the chain snapped and came back hitting the chain saw he was holding. It exploded and set him on fire. He then fell out of the tree to the ground. Luckily his family was there and put him out but he suffered 3rd degree burns all over. Scary stuff. I think I'll leave mine alone for awhile. Good that you can play guitar though. Woodshed time maybe?

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