The accident that end my time with the last guy.

Danthetree1

Treehouser
Joined
Apr 16, 2018
Messages
548
Location
ATL GA area
There has been interest in the mishap to my friend. Here we go. We were craning a dead pine down. There were some limbs low on the pick that my buddy cut off for the pick to be able to get set down. The man had the pick too high in the air and had my friend way overextended instead of cabling down a little to make the cut more comfortable. Buddy made the cut, and the limb hinged down. The tips touched the ground, and the butt came strait down on the saw. Both the saw and the limb came down on my friends leg. I was on top of the spar, and thought that just the limb hit him. Then I saw the red. I flew of the spar. That Man never got off the crane. He really don't seem to care. I knew it would be hell to get away from him and his abusive sales guy, so I gave them hell for two days. I didn't mess anything up, or hurt anyone. There was pure rage though. Its hard for me to believe THIS GUY really don't give a damn. He paid my friend half pay for being hurt. That's Bullshit too. He should have paid full pay. I am SOOOOO happy that buddy is recovering, and my phone has been ringing. I will NEVER be under someones finger like that again. Its my way END OF STORY. Out of the last 15 years of me cutting there has only been one guy to get cut like that. There will be no more.
 
One thing to have an accident I guess but how it's dealt with during and after will be the judge of the Company's/ Personal meddle. Sounds a bad incident for sure , I can't work with machine guys I don't trust.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7
I am back to me. After buddy heals up we will be doing what we love to do. Put em down! Safely! I am a sub contract climber. I just got caught up with these guys for two and a half years thinking they were on my page in the book. They were not. I am much happier and I am letting go, and moving on. Thanks guys!
 
Ok some questions.

1: Why didn’t the guy on the ground just indicate to the crane operator to lower the pick a bit more?

2: Was any leg protection being worn?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10
And then to find out that the know nothing sales guy was making triple what i was making a day..........
 
We treat crane operators as a tool that i command. The second that the dipshit operator thinks he knows more than me is when i start throwing stuff at him. That sucks he got hurt, hopefully he'll make a full recovery, and it's good you got away from that guy.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12
Ok some questions.

1: Why didn?t the guy on the ground just indicate to the crane operator to lower the pick a bit more?

2: Was any leg protection being worn?

No chaps was also a problem I admit, but that dose not play any part for putting someone in a in a bad position. In 15 years I have not been around a chainsaw cut. Dont get me worng we are chaps people no matter what now. Thanks for the questions. Have a great weekend.
 
This really sucks. I can't imagine being that unfeeling.

I agree about the crane op needing to do expressly as told, but I also believe that if you have a good op that you don't need to micro manage them either. My experience is with timber frame raisings. With each pick, a quick conversation about what needs to go where is usually enough. I don't need to call out "boom out", "stick out" or whatever. Just put it there I want it. I've been on the other side where the person telling me what to do doesn't understand how my machine needs to move to do what they want.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16
Dave Shepard.

A Tree Crane operator is not scared to get the crane all the way off the suspension. Afraid to crib the crane up right if needed. Be scared as hell to take a proper pick that may be 3800# maybe 4200# to keep the pick from flipping. The pick flipped and it was only a whopping 1700# Way above 50 degrees. I have been around AWESOME crane operators. The ones that take care of us with the machine. This guy thought that he could play the part. Would not listen when I told him the crane needs to be at least 6" off the ground for it to be stable. He should know that because the best operator we both know told him so.

I think why I am venting here is the fact that the man would try and argue with you. Always say "That's OK." Really the arguments are over and I will leave it at that. Thanks guys for talking to me about this horrible last few week. Not all the times were bad. Just the last ones. I really killed me to see what happened. I wish I could have said stop loud enough on our SENAs to where you could here me over the chipper. I think that's the worst thing off all. To see my buddy messed up.....At least he will be fine. No more goofing off around me. I don't have enough time in the field to mess around and let things like this happen around me. Thanks Fellers.
 
Dan, thanks a lot for being willing to tell the tale. It helps us all to try to learn what causes the mishaps, so that we can see the signs and prevent it from happening again. I'd like to think that you could generate your own work in the future, and be the guy who gets to keep the lion's share of the profits from the job. The situation with the sales guy earning so much more than you just seems so unfair, since it is you who risks life and limb every day.

Ask questions of guys like Mick and Cory and Squirrel and Peter about how to start to become your own boss. Just my thoughts on this.

Tim
 
To clarify, i work around crane operators who have gone to school to learn to do so, qualify for certain types of cranes before they ever show up on a job, and spend their entire career operating equipment. Usually by the time they get on a crane, they tend to specialize in cranes from then on, because most operators don't want a thing to do with them. I don't have to babysit them by any means, but when an operator is running a machine and I'm on the sharp end of it, we are gonna do things my way. The second he starts improv shit as I'm doing something is when I'm gonna come unglued, and rightfully so. I almost had my hand crushed by a know it all operator, and several other close calls all due to the same thing: operators doing stuff without being told to. If your friend signalled to lower, and numnuts didn't, we have a do not pass go moment right there.

Owning, or for that matter, running a crane doesn't make you an operator. Learning and practice is how you become an operator. If they can't crib an outrigger, understand how you need to fully weight said outriggers, level the machine, check and fill fluids, inspect hoist rope, properly reeve a block, and redo a wedge fitting they have no business to be closer to a crane than driving by the jobsite. Working under such a cowboy, I'm glad 15 stitches is the worst that happened. You definitely did the right thing leaving that guy, people like him are the reason cranes have as many accidents as they do (i bet most accidents in life are from people who think they know shit they really don't).
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #20
One more thing. The two years I put in produced a bigger crane, a palfinger epsolon knuckle boom with three sections, brand new chipper and chip truck. My dodge has been broke down for about three years.... Ok its all off my chest now. Come on happy days again!...:D
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #21
Tree09 Thanks. That's what I am talking about. The best operator I know have a huge mix of experience and school. He is always looking out for his dudes. I didn't know how far down the rabbit hole I fell. guess I should have took the red pill....:)
 
Back
Top