This guy really has my sympathy.

Daniel Moore

Daniel Moore

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Jul 28, 2003
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LONDON (Reuters) - A British man was being treated for shock on Wednesday after he fell from a ladder while pruning trees, accidentally killing his wife with his chainsaw, police said.

The 56-year-old man, who has not been named, was cutting back tree branches at his home in southeast London on Monday when he tumbled backwards from the ladder. The running chainsaw crashed down onto the neck of his wife, who was working in the garden below him.

"The woman was killed instantly, although she was not decapitated," police said in a statement. "Her husband was taken to hospital. He is still being treated for shock."

A police spokesman said the incident was being treated as a "tragic accident."
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Man, imagine the guilt you'd feel :(
 
A few notes on this:

1) That is indeed a horrible story.

2) Why did the cops need to emphasize that she was not decapitated? It just sounded odd the way it was written.

3) I'm amazed that chainsaws are not illegal yet in England. Although I'm sure they will look long and hard at some sort of legislation after this tragic accident.
 
After I read the article I kept thinking how terrible the husband must feel. It was such a stupid accident. He's going to torture himself over it for the rest of his life. "Why didn't I tell her to move?" "Why was I using a chainsaw while my wife was right underneath me?" "Why did I slip?" "I'm such an idiot." "I hate myself." :(

It was a terribly tragic loss. :(

During the last hunting season a man in our area accidentally shot and killed his son. Apparently, he brought his son back to the camp and went out alone to do some more hunting. He didn't realize that his son followed him and was playing in and around the woods. The kid had taken off his orange jacket. The guy saw some bushes move and he shot at it. :eek: :( I still wonder how the man made it without turning the gun on himself once he realized what he had done. It had to be shock. If he could absorb what he had done in the slightest way, he surely would have killed himself. Obviously, he didn't follow some of the basic tenants of gun safety. "Keep your finger away from the trigger until your sights are on the target." and "Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified."
 
2) Why did the cops need to emphasize that she was not decapitated? It just sounded odd the way it was written.
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That struck me as odd, too. Almost tasteless. Though I am glad that they emphasized that she died instantly and did not die (too) painfully. I don't mean to sound as if I'm placing blame, but it seems very unwise to be under someone while they are cutting branches. Nobody would have expected the chainsaw to hit her, but at the very least, couldn't you foresee a possibility of being hit by debris or something? Hindsight is 20/20, I guess.
 
Obviously, he didn't follow some of the basic tenants of gun safety. "Keep your finger away from the trigger until your sights are on the target." and "Never shoot at anything that you have not positively identified."
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And what's more, he must not have been aiming for vitals (which is stupid, cruel, and is a great example of someone who has no place hunting). If he was being responsible about aiming for vital organs, he would have noticed that it was his son.

I honestly could not live with myself if either of those scenarios happened to me. That is going to haunt them for the rest of their lives, and I can't begin to fathom what every day will be like for them now.
 
komondor said:
3) I'm amazed that chainsaws are not illegal yet in England. Although I'm sure they will look long and hard at some sort of legislation after this tragic accident.
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Quite likely. Still, things are not quite as bad as you seem to think. Rifles and shotguns are not illegal for instance, only handguns and automatics.

Andrew.
 
The old copper smells a rat. "I'm going to be pruning the tree, dear, would you mind handing me up that wrench that's conveniently right under my ladder?"
"Ooops!"
 
While I do feel bad for the guy, it is truly due to stupidity on both of thier parts. I mean he should have told his wife to move, or waited until she was out of the area, before he started trimming the tree. She should have realized that sitting right under a tree that was being trimmed wasn't a good place to be. I am sure nobody could have predicted that what happened would have ever happened, I sure wouldn't. BUT you must have thought that branches and other things would be falling as he cut the tree. Having anyone stand underneath the tree at that time is just really a bad thing.

And just as a side note, technically you are NEVER supposed to use a chainsaw with your feet off of the ground because things like this can happen. That said, I have used a chainsaw from the top of a ladder, in a tree, balancing on top of a chain link fence, etc. and never had any problems. The biggest thing is to make sure that everyone is clear from the work area, so if the saw should fall it won't hurt anyone.
 
A few years ago we got called to the scene where a person had a partial amputation of the hand due to a chainsaw. This idiot cut through the top part of his hand below the fingers. Evidently Mr. SuperGenius was up in a tree hanging from belts and ropes with the chainsaw hanging from a rope off of his waist. The brake or emergency cutoff was disabled for some reason (we think he modded it) and it was running while it was hanging. Well, numbnuts pulls the chainsaw up and wasn't paying attention when he put his hand right into the path of the spinning saw as he was pulling it up. OUCH! But it gets better....after he realizes what he has done he tries to get down from the tree but he can't do it one-handed so he grabs the chainsaw again and cuts the rope falling 15ft to the ground. He suffered a broken ankle. Idiot. :rolleyes:
 
Reminds me of a co-worker of mine whose first wife died when she ate poison mushrooms they found in the woods.

Poor dude lost his second wife due to a broken neck suffered while on a walk in the woods.

She refused to eat the mushrooms.
 
Maybe they should add a safety-device that produces a loud, motor-like sound when the chainsaw is turned on. Anyone near the chainsaw will then know to keep out of the way.
 
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