Another good reason to carry a pocketknife

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Eric Johnson

Mod Emeritus
Nov 18, 2005
5,871
Central NYS
IOWA HILL, Calif. - Alone in the woods with his left leg pinned beneath a fallen tree for 11 hours, a 66-year-old man used pocketknives to cut off his limb below the knee to free himself, a neighbor and authorities said.

Al Hill had been cutting trees last Friday when one fell on him. After freeing himself, he cried out for help, and a neighbor passing through this sparsely populated area heard him.

Eric Bookey then hiked nearly two miles to get a cellular signal and placed an emergency call to the town's all-volunteer fire department about 7:30 p.m., Fire Chief Luana Dowling told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Hill was eventually airlifted by helicopter to a hospital where he underwent amputation surgery, Dowling said. "He's a pretty remarkable person," Dowling said.

A hospital spokeswoman said Hill was in serious condition on Wednesday, and that he was declining interviews.
 
Eric Johnson said:
IOWA HILL, Calif. - Alone in the woods with his left leg pinned beneath a fallen tree for 11 hours, a 66-year-old man used pocketknives to cut off his limb below the knee to free himself, a neighbor and authorities said.

Al Hill had been cutting trees last Friday when one fell on him. After freeing himself, he cried out for help, and a neighbor passing through this sparsely populated area heard him.

Eric Bookey then hiked nearly two miles to get a cellular signal and placed an emergency call to the town's all-volunteer fire department about 7:30 p.m., Fire Chief Luana Dowling told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Hill was eventually airlifted by helicopter to a hospital where he underwent amputation surgery, Dowling said. "He's a pretty remarkable person," Dowling said.

A hospital spokeswoman said Hill was in serious condition on Wednesday, and that he was declining interviews.

I've heard stories like that before....Most of them have to do with chewing your own arm off rather than wake her up though ;-)
 
karl said:
Wow, I think I would have tried to dig myself out or cut the tree up first.
or at least use the chainsaw or axe that he was using to take the trees down to cut the leg off.......
How long does one take to amputate a leg with a pocket knife....
One other thing that we should always have on us is that 5th of vodka too ;-)
 
You can bet that in that 11 hours he tried everything in the book, and in the appendix too.

One tough fella he is.
 
I read that one yesterday and couldn't bring myself to post. I have been in that country and almost bought land, but it was a little too "Deliverance" for me. If you think he's tough check out this story from a few years ago in Southern Utah:

http://tinyurl.com/qcvs

Ralston is a real tough guy....... I can not imagine.
 
Eric, great story, so sorry he lost his leg.

If only he had been carrying the knife I invented............... :shut:

I actually do carry it any time I go to the woods for many reasons, but certainly not for this reason..........but I guess you never know.


Robbie
 
Tell us about your knife. Pics?
 
Eric, below are a couple links, please read the news paper article first and it will explain how it began.

I know my knife could save someones life, hopefully not in this way though.......... 8-/

http://www.thedailytimes.com/apps/p...040816/NEWS/408160314&SearchID=73258146335665

The link below is rather slow loading due to lots of pics (worth the wait), and the writing is in Russian because they are posted on a Russian gun forum.

http://talks.guns.ru/forummessage/5/80565.html

Please remove above links if not appropriate, thanks.



Robbie
 
Nice article. The reporter did a very good job.

And a very impressive looking tool. Now I'm wondering: Who needs a chain saw?

I'm not clear on the blade locking mechanism. Presumably it's designed so there's no chance of the saw cutting your hand if the pin were to shear. Is that part of the patent?
 
Eric, the design incorporates a hidden safety stop located in the handle plus a hardened locking pin.

These knives have been used all over the world in the last 4 years and have proven to be really tough knives.

I would hate to have to use a knife to free myself from being trapped, but if I had to I would hope I had my Revolver.


Robbie
 
That story brings a lot of questions forward:

- Why not just wait? You leg is broken or worse. Some one will know you are missing pretty soon and they will come looking for you. That is why you should always cut wood with 2 people, or at least let someone know what you are doing, where and when you will be back.
- If he had waited, could he have called his neighbor when he walked by? Or did he 'walk' out of the woods and then called him?
- If the area is that remote, what makes him think he would have been able to 'walk' back to civilization with one leg missing?
- How about the blood loss? Cutting those arteries will make you bleed out in minutes. How did he prevent that? And then how did he walk somewhere else to call his neighbor withhout loosing all his blood?

It all sound a little strange. Not enought info, I guess. Or new urban legend??

I don't know.

Carpniels
 
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