Man amputates own leg to get free of fallen tree

OUCH ! always carry a whistle & tell somebody what your doing and if there is nobody to tell blow your whistle; if he was lying on the soil (not rocks)i think i would have dug out or tried everything, either way the man probably panic after being stuck there so long and decided, i'll hack my leg to save my life...if he knew his friend hiked to call for help, why did he whittle on his leg? the pain must have been excruciating,surprised he did not black out ... i can't imagine doing it to myself?
 
I bet he had seen "Saw" one time too many!

hahaha!

at least the dude from the movie had a saw to cut his leg!
 
WILLIAM.M said:
The knife would have had to be very big to break the Tibia and Fibula-and he would have had to batton the knife through each bone.(Unlikely)

What happened (I think) is the tree fractured both bones and he cut the leg off .(Still a feat I would not like to test myself on-as I'm not sure I could do it).I admire his courage and inner resolve---

Dr.Bill
Click to expand...

He might have had a SAK in which case he could have used the saw. :p
 
There is alot we dont know about what happend. All i know is if i were there you would find me under the tree dead. I cant even imagine cutting my own leg off. 11 hours i would stick there for a couple more days before i would even start thinking about it.

Sasha
 
And what did he plan to do, hop through the woods on one leg, bleeding like crazy. Wouldn't he just keep going in circles. :)
 
:D that was my thought , circular blood trail , no positive direction to wander aimlessly thru the woods,falling and bleeding , making the situation worse. sit still and wait on your friend to find you still under the tree,i can only imagine his friend coming back to the blood spot thinking ; where did he go?:confused:
 
I'm truly surprised at the callous and condescending attitudes that many have displayed towards that man.

My own leg and foot were crushed by a boulder 5 years back. I was in a group that was led by retired Air Force pararescuemen. One was with me when my leg was crushed. Should I have been by myself, I've no idea how I would've reacted. As it was, even with trained, professional help immediately on-site, I've still had to get 3 surgeries on my leg - the latest being a total reconstruction - for it to be able to work. We had a state-wide emergency medical radio with us, and even it didn't get reception.

It's easy to sit behind a computer desk and state the various could've-should've-would've lines; it's quite another to be in such a situation for oneself. Those accusing the man of premature amputation cannot imagine what such an impasse is like. I'm truly appalled at the many scornful, condescending attitudes that've been evidenced. I assume your naivete and inexperience are the cause of this, but you could still try to show a bit of understanding.

Isn't this a forum where we all recognize that "it" can happen to anyone - ourselves included?
 
All I can say is that would have been absolutly the very last resort I would have taken. I'd of dug, pushed and tried to lever if off befor that course of action. :eek:
 
Trout Tamer,

I agree that we're all playing Monday morning quarterback here. But, it as it appears from the facts that we have at hand, he probably would have been better off not cutting off his leg. Obviously he didn't know that when he did it.

I apologize if my post above seems insensitive, it was not meant to be disrespectful.
However, I don't see any logical flaws in it.
How far is a one legged man, bleeding profusely, going to get in the wilderness?
He could have lasted for days under that tree.
As others have said, I would have waited. But hey, like you said, if it never happened to you, how could you know.

Regards, Steve
 
Man, you guys are harsh.....

Just think of how long your 8 hour work day is to you...... Now do it trapped under a tree, not being able to adjust yourself for comfort, and your leg is severely fractured and you are in mortal pain.

Severe pain can cause dementia and borderline insanity in a matter of minutes, let alone hours, especially if its right at that hairy edge of putting you into shock, but not quite.

I'm sure any thinking man, if not in a state of shock, would try just about EVERYTHING before removing his own leg. Digging, pushing, prying, chopping, battoning, clawing, biting, employing the chainsaw that may be in reach.

This was either the last ditch effort of a truely desperate man, or the poor decision on the part of a man out of his mind, but either way he should be commended for having the BALLS to do what was done to save his own life.
 
tapedeck74,

I appreciate your response, thank you.

My thought is that the little news snippet wasn't particularly detailed in any respect concerning the exact physical details of the man's situation. Lacking that, we can speculate 'til the cows come home, but it will be speculation, at best.

I do know that the horror of having a leg trapped and, in my case, crushed, will put a person into a panic mode. He waited for 11 hours under a terrible circumstance. Bottom line, he came out alive, albeit with a permanently life-altering loss. He did do that one thing right, and I'm sure we can all agree that it's the single most important thing :thumbup:

What can we learn from this account? To me, the most obvious lesson is that it's never wise to go deep into the wilderness without a partner. The Bible mentions this, stating, "Two are better off than one, in that they have greater benefit from their earnings. For should they fall, one can raise the other; but woe betide him who is alone and falls with no companion to raise him! Further, when two lie together, they are warm; but how can he who is alone get warm? Also, if one attacks, two can stand up to him. A three-fold cord is not readily broken!" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

I love being in the wilderness. I love the peace and solitude, among other things. However, I also love staying alive ;) Certain activities also pose greater risk. Felling trees is high on the "risky activity" list, in my books. Trees have a mind of their own when falling. When doing such things, I feel it's doubly-important to have another person with.

In fact, let's open this up - what can we, as wilderness enthusiasts, learn from that guy's situation?

And again, thanks for your reply, Steve.

Zack
 
Zack/TT, no callousness or offense meant. Just musing a bit about the debate between the "big knives are useful" and the "big knives are useless" factions.

Also, dating back at least to my EMT days, I've often found graveyard humor a helpful sanity preservative--and I'm sure many posting here are of similar mind, without that betokening any cavalier attitude toward people they actually encounter (which is a long ways from just reading about them on an internet news story). The things one says to an actual, suffering patient are very different from the things one says over beers with one's colleagues after going off shift.
 
Folks,

I'm familiar with a story from about 10 years ago in British Columbia, Canada. IIRC, a logger or heavy equipment operator had fallen a tree, of about 4' in diameter which crushed his one leg against the bedrock. Digging wasn't possible and he didn't have 2 weeks to "whittle" his way through the log....ended up using his Buck 110 to cut through the leg where the bone was crushed.

I tried to find a web reference, but wasn't successful....

Cheers,
D
 
Zack/TT, no callousness or offense meant... Also, dating back at least to my EMT days, I've often found graveyard humor a helpful sanity preservative... The things one says to an actual, suffering patient are very different from the things one says over beers with one's colleagues after going off shift.
Click to expand...
True that, Return of the JD. When my leg was crushed, all supporting structures of my lower leg were totally destroyed - they had to duct tape my feet together to keep my right foot from flopping side-to-side, even after pulling traction and setting it in a long splint.
Well, the course instructors were retired PJ's, a couple of them having earned the Silver Star in Vietnam. During one rest and trail-clearing break, I looked at the instructors and said, "You know, you guys are pretty good at this emergency rescue business. Ever thought of having a go at it professionally?"
One of 'em almost dropped from laughing. Yes, gallows humor certainly does have its place.
And, you're certainly correct - what one says to a patient ought to be far different from what said person says to colleagues after the event.
 
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