With the skies clear after last week’s nor’easter, attention is turning to cleanup – especially the hundreds of trees and thousands of large limbs that were felled throughout Hampton Roads.
The Norfolk Botanical Garden alone lost about 40 large trees, The Virginian-Pilot reported. Local, state and federal officials are still trying to put together a comprehensive regional tally.
Where there are downed trees, chain saws are sure to follow. However, the proliferation of chain saws means many of them are being operated by inexperienced users. This is not unlike the danger presented by generators, which I wrote about in a previous post.
And the chain saws can be more dangerous than the storm. After Hurricane Hugo, two people died from chainsaw injuries, according to Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech.
The extension office has this advice for people dealing with downed trees:
• Ask yourself if you really need a chain saw. Branches and limbs four or fewer inches in diameter are poorly-suited to a chain saw and should be cut with a hand saw or an axe.
• Wear the proper clothing and safety gear. This includes safety glasses or goggles, heavy-duty, non-slip gloves, non-slip shoes, hearing protection, clothes that do not hang loose, long-sleeve shirt and pants, and a hard hat.
• Avoid kickback – when a saw comes back at the operator because the saw’s nose hits an obstruction. Hold the saw firmly with both hands, use a saw with a chain brake or kickback guard, don’t cut at a height above your shoulder, and keep the chain sharp.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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