On September 23, a Colorado tree worker, John O'Neill, 33, was busy throwing branches into a wood chipper. It was his first day on the job. When he picked up and threw one hook-shaped branch to the machine, one of its ends caught O'Neill's ankle monitor, dragging him into the machine's spinning blades. Suffering an immense amount of trauma, doctors had to amputate both of his legs above his knees.
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When the accident happened, O'Neill didn't feel much pain as the machine began to eat up his legs. "The pain was very — it was not there almost," said O'Neill to The Denver Post. "I didn't really feel the pain as much as I knew I was in trouble. It went from a fight for my limb to a fight for my life, very fast."
And a fight for his life ensued. He tried to relax as much as possible while also crying for help. Unfortunately, all of his coworkers didn't notice what was happening initially. Every single one of them had ear protection on, meaning that his screams went unheard. "It took a minute before my coworkers realized what was happening," said O'Neill.
His coworker did notice that O'Neill was surprisingly calm when the accident took place. Eventually, they were able to pull him out, but not before the blades cut off his legs all the way to the mid-thigh. According to O'Neill, he was able to see "skin, bones, arteries, muscle tissue, and an immense amount of blood flowing from his body."
Police arrived at the scene and applied tourniquets. O'Neill's coworkers helped him remain conscious. He was later flown to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado.
O'Neill Recovering
When O'Neill woke up, that was where he felt the pain he didn't feel before. "I was in an excruciating amount of pain," he said. "I felt my legs were broken. It took me a minute to realize and remember what had just happened." What O'Neill described as doctors replacing all his blood was not an exaggeration: he received 15 pints of blood, waiting for more.
That is where he remembered the details of his accident and how it all went down. He also said that the memory of his family and friends was what kept him alive and fighting. "I thought of my mom and my friends and people who look up to me and people who needed me and people who were counting on me and people who have taught me to fight," he said.
Commenting on his son's accident, Barbara O'Neill said: "I got to reconnect with him and tell him how much he meant to me and how he basically saved my life." She also said that John was eager to use his experience to connect with other people in rehabilitation. John volunteered at many organizations that set up sober events.
John's family and friends have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his rehabilitation and equipment moving forward.
