*sigh*

[Warbird]

Just got word that my brother-in-law was injured while felling a tree.  He was apparently taking off a limb while standing on a ladder.  The limb swept back and knocked him off the ladder.  He fell 6 or 7 feet, cut his leg, hurt his hand, and bruised his hip.  Looks like he didn't break anything.

I am being sympathetic right now but plan to make sure he doesn't do something so asinine ever again.  They live down south and he is in construction.  He's a good guy but definitely not a forester/lumberjack/sawyer.

[Ron Scott]

Lucky, it could have been much worse. That seems to be a fairly common accident with often serious injury.

[DanG]

I bet I know exactly what happened, assuming he was doing any planning at all.  The logical thing to do is to notch the underside of the branch and make your top cut so that the tip of the branch falls away from you.  The one little problem with that very logical logic is, if the branch tip hits the ground before it is released from the cut, it will shoot right back at you like a piston, and knock you off the ladder every cottonpickin' time!   Now before you ask me how I came across that little piece of wisdom, I'll tell you it was the hard way.  Well, it coulda been harder if I had been on a ladder, and even worse if the limb had succeeded in doing what it set out to do, which was to skewer me right through the neck. >:( >:(

In short, limbs are a lot like women and children...they will do exactly the opposite of what you tell them to do.

[beenthere]

Like DanG says, have been there and done that too (and think I know too).
Sometimes one has to just experience that limb to fully understand that it seems to want to kick you off the ladder every time.
I didn't believe it could happen twice the same way. It did.  But when the third time (opportunity ? ) came along, that is when I got out the shotgun.  ;D ;D

I won't cut any limb standing on a ladder now, and will try to warn anyone I know not to do it. But, suspect others just need to find out for themselves. 

Even standing on the ground with the pole chainsaw, the limb seems to want to go after you. Really have to have your guard up always.

[M.Demetrius]

Well, heck, I'd try to fight back, wouldn't you? 

[timber tramp]

  Easier to limb trees if they're horizontal, no ladders involved.  ;)

  Seriously though, it's lucky your BIL was'nt hurt worse, sometimes a little pain is the best teacher.                          TT