Injury in the Logging Woods

 The setting was Forest Home Alabama.  My dad, James Henry Arnold, had purchased his brother's logging operation (Joe Arnold Logging) and we were operating as JH Arnold Logging.   My brother Marvin Kyle Arnold (Kyle) and myself were both working at the time with Daddy.  As most everyone knows, we were a long time Rocky Creek logger which became Union Camp.  We may have been producing for Hines Steele and Steele out of Beatrice AL. at that time as my memory fails me a little.  We were however doing a select cut for a family friend right close to the our then business and second home.  That family friend was Mr. Author Till.   I was in my early 20s  working in the family business and going to college.

That summer day, We had some huge pines that would fall on the road if cut by our feller buncher or by one of our saw hands.  Daddy had Kyle added another cable onto the existing cable of the John Deere Grapple skidder.   Knump , one our saw hands, and I went to the pine near the road.  They had me shimmy up the pine and place the cable high in the tree.   Kyle was driving the skidder and they let out all the cable and took out all the slack.

The first thing that went wrong was I standing next to Knump as he set into the tree.  I had my hand resting on the tree and limb fell out and hit in the shoulder.   I said a few choice words then we continued on.  Knump was good with a saw and we hand motioned them to pull with the skidder.   We did not take into account there was small pine tree between Knump and Kyle.  For some reason Jim or as we called him Nook was standing at the back of skidder.  Nook realized late the tree would hit the small pine which would hit him.  He turned to run. The large pine fell and caught the little pine.   I can remember the little pine bending as it went down.   It switched Nook three times.  BAM.  BAM. BAM.  The small tree bent lick a switch as sailed down to the ground.

We all rushed to Nook.  It was bad.  He was bloody and broke up.  He was also unconscious.   I can remember Kyle rushing the Chevy crew cab done the logging trail to get close to him..   Kyle and Daddy rushed him to the Hospital.

What a day that was.  As you all know, I am a Risk Control / safety man for the insurance company.  Many things went wrong that day but that is not what this story is about.  However, Nook did make it through the event and was eventually able to return to the woods.   

All the memories you have are not good ones.  Some of the best memories are however from Tragedies.  I can still remember Kyle frantically driving that service truck.   I can smell the pine now like it happened yesterday.   Most of those men are long gone now.   I am probably the only one still around, but their memories still log in my heart.

Stay Safe out there.