Workers' compensation, which you can apply for in Maryland if you're injured on the job, is vital for situations like this one, where a man has suffered pain and injuries from a chainsaw. This man that was injured on the job has been called "lucky" and "blessed" just to be alive, but with the right safety procedures to prevent kickback and things like automatic shut-off for the chainsaw, this kind of accident never should have happened. The April 1 report states that the man is doing well after his neck was cut into by the chainsaw; fortunately, his carotid artery was just missed.
What is good about this story is how the staff at the scene knew how to handle this man's injury. His coworkers didn't pull out the blade, helping keep pressure on the wound. Emergency services detached the heavy part of the saw without removing the blade and chain, making it easier for the man to be moved. All that time, they worked together to keep him stable, and according to the report, he was awake the whole time.
The victim reported that his chainsaw kicked back at around 2:30 p.m., and it got stuck between his collarbone and neck. Coworkers and emergency responders helped prevent excessive bleeding, and a doctor went with him on the road to the hospital. Fortunately, the blade did not make contact with any of the man's major arteries, so only muscle was damaged.
In this case, the 21-year-old man went into surgery shortly after the incident, and he was treated with at least 30 stitches to close the wounds. He's been scheduled for release from the hospital, and he even plans to return to work within a week or two.
Usually, these kinds of injuries are more severe, and according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 36,000 people are treated in hospital emergency departments for chainsaw injuries each year. Most of the time, they're for leg or hand injuries, but about 10 percent involve the head.
