Rocky 2009 Start

Well it was only the third day into the new year and I had the scare of my life. Saturday, Adam had planned to go out to my parents in Gilbert to help cut down one last tree. By now, Adam is an expert tree cutter... literally he's cut probably 5-6 in our yard and helped with almost as many in Gilbert - and that's just been in the last 3 years. The victim today was a hundred year old HUGE pecan tree - so big you can't get your arms around it. Limbs that are as big as a normal tree trunk (if not bigger) splayed everyone. They were actually only trimming this tree - it's limbs- not taking it down completely.

So Saturday morning we rose as a family and headed out to Gilbert. I talked my mom into going to IHOP with Taylor and me. I couldn't wait... pancakes are my favorite. My mom has a hurt knee right now and is a hoppalong on crunches. :-) So I was playing chaeffeur (sp). Our first bad omen should have been the rain that started falling as my mom and me pulled out of the driveway. Let's see : tree cutting, chainsaw, ladder and rain.

Anyways, so mom and me are sitting at IHOP, we just got our food and Adam calls. He tells me that he's hurt his leg and is on the way to the hospital. At this point I'm thinking he's in the car with my dad. So I try to rush my food at IHOP and then decide to call him back to find out what happened. He says he got pinned by the tree and he's in the back of an ambulance. I'm freaking at this point.

I end up leaving my 'gimp' mother (sorry mama) at the restaraunt with my 15month old, who was oblivious as long as the food kept coming. Melissa, my sister, was coming to IHOP to pick them up. I headed to the hospital. Meanwhile, the stress of all this is causing me to have contractions... which is NOT a good thing, but atleast I was going to be at the hospital - best place to be.

My dad was waiting for me when I got there and we weren't too far behind the ambulance. Adam's dad was shortly behind us. Ambulance was definitely the way to go because the ER was absolutely packed - insane.

The story turns out to be that Adam was about 10 feet up in the pecan tree reaching out to cut the limb. This particular limb was already broken and partly laying on the ground. They were having doubts about this limb anyways but wanted to get it over with. When he cut it loose, instead of the limb falling straight down or out, it actually swung back toward Adam and pinned him against the trunk of the tree hitting/pinning him across both knees and lower legs. I'll post pics if I can but you have to imagine that this is a HUGE tree, the kind you only see in Gilbert or Batesburg Leesville or the mountains. Each limb is the size of a tree itself. Adam was able to somehow free himself from the tree. If you see the space he squeezed out of you'll know that it had to be adrenaline that abled him to lift that tree. He was able to make it to the ladder and sit tight until paramedics arrived. He thought he crushed both legs completely and knew he couldn't walk. I'm sure it felt that way too.

Adam turned out to be okay. The tree pinned across his left shin and pummelted his right knee. Fourteen xrays showed no broken bones (miracle) and the doctor said all his ligaments looked good. He got sent home with pain pills and a puny but grateful diagnosis of bruising and muscle damange to both legs.

He's home now and we are counting our blessings. This could have ended much more tragically with several different endings. We are so blessed his angels were looking out for him... again.