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Arborist Accident - friction hitches

DanielB89

DanielB89

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2017
Messages
1,381
Location
Monroe, LA
A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was killed in an arborist accident. He was cutting a limb and somehow cut his left elbow which made the arm not usable. As he began his descent his friction hitch got locked in and was unable to break it loose with one arm. He hung there until he passed.


This lead me to thinking about an advantage a mechanical device will have over a prussic, the ability to pull a lever and begin to descend! I can't help but think that if he had been using something mechanical, it could have been as simple as repelling and get proper medical treatment.

This guy was in great shape, lean, muscular, had climbed trees his whole life, used ropes and such his whole life, and was unable to save himself. This has led me to really evaluating my gear and seeing what I should/shouldn't be using.

I know I can do everything i'm doing when both hands are able, but what about when only 1 is available?

We always assume the accident will happen to the next man and aren't ready when it knocks on our door.

Do any of you carry a tourniquet for if something bad happened? What if you accidentally shoved a broadhead into your hand? what if you slipped and a step/bow holder went into your side?

These are all some random thoughts I have been thinking about and just wanted to share. Life has a sad way of teaching us through someone else's misfortune. I have learned some lessons from this event.
 
Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. I prefer to use friction hitches rather than a mechanical device but there are a number of hitches that can be released under load and would allow you to get down one handed. Not optimal but in such a scenario it could be done. I wont climb on anything else.
 
Sorry to hear about your friend. Horrible. As a new hunter it definitely makes me more aware of the "what ifs" and taking extra precautions. A medical kit will be included in my pack for the next season for sure. I'm a nurse and didn't even plan for this. You friend has helped me become a safer hunter. Hope you and the Fam are well.
 
BTaylor said:
Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. I prefer to use friction hitches rather than a mechanical device but there are a number of hitches that can be released under load and would allow you to get down one handed. Not optimal but in such a scenario it could be done. I wont climb on anything else.
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I believe all of his hitches could be easily broken as well.. until he only had 1 arm.. It was a strange situation.. A lot of unanswered questions..
 
What was the cause of death? Bleeding or something related to suspension trauma or something else?
 
raisins said:
What was the cause of death? Bleeding or something related to suspension trauma or something else?
Click to expand...

From my understanding of the event he cut his elbow, I don't know exactly how bad, but I know he cut a ligament/tendon making his arm non-usable. When he started descending some how his prussic caught and he was unable to break it loose. I can only assume that he was descending faster than he wanted and let go causing it to catch more than normal(~25' up) . (all speculation there). His ground man called 911 immediately(around 11:40am) and began trying to find a way up to help him. First looking for a tourniquet, another rope, etc and couldn't find anything. I believe they were both in a complete panic which altered their judgement in the situation.

It took the ambulance around 10 mins to get there, by the time the ambulance got there he could not hold himself upright anymore and was hanging upside down in his harness. I can only assume it was from the stress his body was under and/or blood loss. The fire truck showed up about 10 mins later. The canopy of the trees covering the driveway was too low for the fire truck to get close enough to reach the tree. After it was all said and done he hung in the tree close to 40 mins. By the time they got him down he was gone. Leaves behind a wife and 2 kids.
 
I have two good arms and only use one hand to break the tension on my autoblock now.

Hate that happened.
 
DanielB89 said:
From my understanding of the event he cut his elbow, I don't know exactly how bad, but I know he cut a ligament/tendon making his arm non-usable. When he started descending some how his prussic caught and he was unable to break it loose. I can only assume that he was descending faster than he wanted and let go causing it to catch more than normal(~25' up) . (all speculation there). His ground man called 911 immediately(around 11:40am) and began trying to find a way up to help him. First looking for a tourniquet, another rope, etc and couldn't find anything. I believe they were both in a complete panic which altered their judgement in the situation.

It took the ambulance around 10 mins to get there, by the time the ambulance got there he could not hold himself upright anymore and was hanging upside down in his harness. I can only assume it was from the stress his body was under and/or blood loss. The fire truck showed up about 10 mins later. The canopy of the trees covering the driveway was too low for the fire truck to get close enough to reach the tree. After it was all said and done he hung in the tree close to 40 mins. By the time they got him down he was gone. Leaves behind a wife and 2 kids.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

I'm sorry for your loss and the loss his family has endured and sorry to him as well. I hope recounting that wasn't too hurtful. Just know that you might have helped someone here by typing that out.
 
Wow! That sure made a light come on in my head. Never thought about only having the use of one hand before. Thank you for posting this as hard as it is to talk about, I'm sure. Do know that you may have helped someone else from having it happen to them though. Thoughts and prayers for you and his family.
 
This is a tragedy to say the least and prayers go out for his family. I am a fan of basal anchors so the climber can be lowered by a groundie in the event of an emergency. I am also a fan of mechanicals Roperunner, Akimbo that do away with the problems associated with hitch based devices. I have noticed over the years arborists trending toward SRS because of the abuse the upper body takes using MRS while SRS employs the large muscles of the legs. I know in the saddle hunting community a RADS setup using a GriGri or Madrock but those devices and technique are not very popular for people who climb for a living.
 
That's horrible.

It does make me think that I should be more intentional about the scenarios to be prepared for and where my system falls short. Not being able to use a limb is definitely one to consider.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Sorry for your loss. Prayers for you and his family.
 
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