Camp accident

[ateallthepies]

WARNING WOUND PIC BELOW!!!!!!




Just a little reminder to stay safe while camping.

I was in Somerset this last weekend at a farmers camp place that allowed fires and had a nice little wood where we were allowed to gather dead wood.

I was with a large group of friends of non bushcraft persuasions. I was in charge of fire making among other things and all went well until the second day when a mate took my Gransfors Scandy axe without asking and started splitting wood.

He had a small round log laying bark side to the splitting log and had taken a swing and the blade deflected off the log and hit him above the ankle as he did not apparently have his legs positioned right and also had a couple of cans of beer which was stupid.

He went white as a sheet just said 'I think I'm not OK' and we rushed over and I saw this 2-3 inch long very deep wound and was shocked. One of our group was a nurse and she covered the wound and said straight away get him to hospital. The thing was the cut didn't bleed very much??

Someone took him to A&E luckily not very far away and they initially thought it was a surgery job but ended by just having stitches. He was back in camp later on crutches very lucky to have not done more damage as my axe was shaving sharp!

I still felt awful and to blame as it was my axe but how can you stop an adult from doing what they want? Only person from then on to use my sharps was me and will be the rule in future camps. It is amazing what inexperience combined with a little alcohol can lead to

Stay safe with sharps!

Is it all right to load the picture as a warning if I get my friend to send it to me? His misses took some close-ups in the hospital!

I read the forum rules and didn't see any the pic could break but please remove if needed?



Steve

 

[Shewie]

Sharps and beer don't mix, lessons learned the hard way

 

[Retired Member southey]

Oooof, its a lesson ive learnt on my own ankle, but as to how to stop others doing what they want, you tell them to leave your kit alone, if they do great, if they don't its there tough luck!

 

[Paganwolf]

Bloody ell nasty!! hope he heals quick and hes a lucky guy its not worse than that!!!
Axes have unfortunatly been made a bushcraft fashion accesory now by RM, every tom dick and harry who is the slightest interest in bushcraft has a pound/ pound and a half of razor sharp steel on the end of a stick to weald about, this scares me at times when i see people using them at meets ect who obviously have no knowledge of axes, im usually wincing as i tell them to stop and correct them. Really in this country there is no need to have or use an axe for bushcraft as you know it, Woodcraft can involve axes to speed up projects and for larger projacts but come on how many use their axe eg SFA to do this and use it for chopping fire wood?!

 

[Wayland]

I think he learned a couple of lessons there.

First of all, don't drink and mess with sharps.

Secondly don't borrow someone else's kit without asking, Karma can be a real bitch.

 

[ateallthepies]

Maybe a splitting axe would have been better for the larger rounds but I find my Scandinavian axe fine for splitting the smaller stuff? Would be good to hear others views on this as I'm always learning!

Steve.

 

[Barn Owl]

Don't worry about the pic Steve.

Some of us actually encourage ones like that. Lol

 

[ateallthepies]

I think he learned a couple of lessons there.

First of all, don't drink and mess with sharps.

Secondly don't borrow someone else's kit without asking, Karma can be a real bitch.

After wood he told us that he had a close shave with an axe a few years ago! I guess some people have to learn the hard way?

Steve.

 

[BOD]

Nice job. Taught him a lesson the axe did.

At least he came back to the camp so i guess he is fundamentally ok

 

[Wayland]

As Paganwolf says, an axe is a seriously over-rated tool for use in the UK.

My main use for an axe is splitting large logs, 8"-10" with a few wedges at meet ups for the communal fire.

Other than that I rarely have a use for them.

They do speed things up occasionally but they also speed up the injury count rather too much.

 

[ateallthepies]

Nice job. Taught him a lesson the axe did.

At least he came back to the camp so i guess he is fundamentally ok

Yes all was well in the end. I think he was more concerned that he left his roll up's back at camp in the rush to A&E than the cut

Steve

 

[ged]

Don't worry about the pic Steve.

Some of us actually encourage ones like that. Lol

Agreed. It's too easy to forget how much damage you can do with a moment's inattention.

 

[launditch1]

Was the axe ok?

 

[nunzionuk]

Was the axe ok?

Now thats the important question!

Last time I was camping with my mates at debden house, I took my SFA and one of them managed to take a large chunk out of it, not the head, but the handle.

Hope your friend is ok, he sounds very lucky to not have done more damage.

 

[walshy155]

Well atleast it wasn't any worse than that.

 

[Toddy]

We're building up a fair old collection of these wounds, aren't we ?
So easily done glad it wasn't worse, and that he sounds as though he's listening to you.

Russ brought a froe along for the communal wood pile, explained how to use it and left it where it was the tool folks used to break out the logs.
Much under-rated tool a good froe, and no sharp edges to commit hari kiri (sp?) on the unprepared

Thing is though, those who are good with an axe make light work of a pile of firewood; but their confident capability with it makes others think, "Oh, s'easy, I can do that!", instead of hanging fire a bit until someone's shown them how to do it safely.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[zeBarOOn]

Wow. I'm glad the chap is ok! Looks like a lesson learned the hard way.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Valuable lessons learnt - sadly, the hard way!

Maybe he'll pay a little more attention next time when you require of the group "Don't borrow sharps without asking!"

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[geordienemisis]

This takes me back to my mob days and whilst on an outward bounds exercise in the Galloway Forrest we were all drinking cans of whatever brew in the early evening and being quite happy after a day of abseiling and hill walking Etc. Then I remember later on in the evening maybe early morning most if not all had had a lot to drink. When I noticed that some of the guys were standing atop of a large log maybe 12 to 15 inches thick swinging a large tree felling axe to see who could split the log the quickest. I did have a go and for a short while was in the lead, even tho I had missed several times and came close to chopping of one of my feet. The next day with lots of logs split and no one hurt except for some bruised ankles I just sat back and realized how dangerous this activity was. I still see people cutting logs now and am taken back to that place and think how lucky we all were. At the time I was a senior NCO and joined in with many who were above me in rank and I know this is no way an excuse but I did noting to stop it. Just lucky no one was hurt. During my time in the forces I did some unbelievable stupid things to pass a way time and have some fun. Glad I have grown up somewhat.

 

[Gill]

Nice one i think that will take Russ back a bit ,its almost identical.