Vent: Forgot to tie off my climbing line and paid for it

Tbh I was up in a big oak in Austin last Tuesday, trimming some deadwood, and I got lazy. Didn't double-check my tie-in point before leaning out to cut a limb. Next thing I know, I swing hard into a branch and bust my forehead open. Blood everywhere, had to call my ground guy to help me down. Anyone else get too comfortable and have a close call like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

price.tara1mo ago

Had a buddy down in San Antonio who learned this the hard way. He was trimming a live oak near a pool and thought his knot was bomber. Leaned out to cut a heavy limb and his line slipped right off the branch. He dropped about 15 feet into the deep end, broke his collarbone on the side of the pool. His ground guy had to fish him out with a skimmer net while he was yelling about his saw sinking. Said the worst part was explaining to the homeowner why there was blood and a chainsaw in their pool filter.

foster.charles1mo ago

That's a rough way to learn a lesson.

-1

xena37316d ago

4 years ago in Austin, I saw a guy tie into a dead limb on a red oak that looked solid but was totally rotten inside. He was maybe 20 feet up and the whole branch just snapped off clean. He rode it down and landed in a pile of mulch, walked away with just a bruised tailbone and a dented ego. Point is, sometimes getting banged up is the only way some people learn to check their gear twice. You can read about knots and safety all day, but a cracked collarbone tends to stick in your memory better than any manual.