A tree trimmer miraculously survived after he accidentally lodged a chainsaw in his neck while in a tree on Monday.
James Valentine, from Pennsylvania, was in a harness up a tree in Ross Township when the incident occurred, police told CBS owned KDKA-TV.
"It was just a freak accident. It could happen to anybody climbing a tree," Valentine, 21, told the station. "The chainsaw came back at me and got stuck in my neck."
The chainsaw's blade was stuck in his neck and shoulder area. Valentine turned the saw off and started to make his way down the tree.
"I was holding it with this hand and scooted down with this hand," Valentine told KDKA-TV. "Soon as I got down...Just seeing the blood just squirting out, that was crazy."
A co-worker climbed the tree and helped rescue Valentine. Emergency responders on the scene were able to stabilize Valentine while he remained conscious.
"As soon as the accident happened, the injured person was able to hold the saw in front of himself," EMS Greg Porter, told KDKA-TV. "He never lost consciousness."
Valentine underwent surgery at Allegheny General Hospital to get the blade removed. The chainsaw's motor was removed beforehand, however the blade was left lodged in his neck.
"If you take the chainsaw out, you would have massive bleeding," Dr. Christine Toevs, a trauma surgeon, told KDKA-TV.
"He was not critically injured," Toevs said. "He was awake and talking to us when he came in. We took the chainsaw out and there was no bleeding."
Valentine is currently recovering. The tree trimmer was lucky the chainsaw only hit his muscles and did not cut any major arteries. He told KDKA-TV he has no plans to change jobs after his near death experience.
"I'm a tree climber; that's what I do," Valentine said.
