Chainsaw Accident

It’s a cool, breezy morning in November. You and a friend are cutting standing dead trees for firewood. You have a Forest Service permit. Your truck is close by, but you are five hours from the nearest hospital, some of that on gravel roads. Your friend, Tom Jensen, is cutting the tree. He is not wearing chaps. Tom stumbles when the saw kicks sideways, and the chain bites into his right upper thigh before he kills the throttle.

Tom swears loudly and drops to one knee. The cut is deep and bleeding fast; blood is pooling on the ground. He clamps both hands over the wound. When you reach him seconds later with the first aid kit, his face is pale. You can feel the urgency in Tom’s voice when he clearly states, "I’m dizzy.”

​What's wrong with Tom, and what should you do about it?

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