John O’Neill, 33, fitted with a court-ordered ankle monitor, was throwing tree branches into the machine when one caught the tracking device and dragged him into the chipper, according to the Denver Post.
O’Neill, who had battled addiction and is now sober and excited about his new job, had both legs amputated above his knee following the life-altering accident at 10:18 a.m. on Sept. 24.
“It’s beyond a miracle that John is still with us, and he’s fighting harder than ever,” O’Neill’s friend George Safir wrote on GoFundMe. “Our friend has always been pretty reckless and living life on the edge! All while doing so, being a warrior in life.”
Only 15 minutes into the workday in Longmont, O’Neill grabbed a fish hook-shaped branch and threw it into the machine.
The end of the branch caught onto O’Neil’s ankle monitor and dragged his leg into the spinning blades where it began cutting into his toes, foot, ankle and legs.
None of O’Neill’s coworkers immediately heard his cries for help as they were all wearing ear protection.
“It took a minute before my coworkers realized what was happening,” O’Neill told the outlet.
As the machine continued to eat into him, O’Neill began believing his time was ending.
“Something happened in my brain to where I realized I was in fear for a lot more than just losing my leg or my foot,” O’Neill said.
“The pain was very — it was not there almost,” he recalled. “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.”
O’Neill described the accident as “something that looked like what you see in movies,” as he saw skin, bones, muscle and a lot of blood coming out of his legs.
O’Neill said remained as calm as possible to keep his heart rate down.
“I didn’t freak out, I did stay calm,” O’Neill said. “My coworker said I was very cognitive throughout the whole thing.”
A coworker pulled him out as the blade reached his midthighs and O’Neill grabbed a nearby rope for a makeshift tourniquet.
He faded in and out of consciousness but credits his coworkers for keeping him alive using sternum rubs.
Police arrived at the scene and secured actual tourniquets on the remainder of O’Neill’s legs before he was rushed to a local hospital where he was flown to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, just outside of Denver.
During the helicopter ride, O’Neill “technically died,” he told the outlet, saying his heart stopped.
He “firmly believes” the ankle monitor design is why he couldn’t free himself from the wood chipper.
Doctors amputated the remainder of O’Neill’s mangled legs and needed to give him 15 pints of blood.
“They essentially replaced all the blood in my body,” he said.
When he woke up in his hospital room the next day, O’Neill called his mother who was left “in such a panic” she had to be admitted into the hospital for three days, according to the Denver Post.
Among the many people and organizations O’Neill has reconnected with during his hospitalization is “the Phoniex,” the non-profit that creates “sober events and activities” to help those battling addiction.
With the non-profit, O’Neill looks to continue his volunteer work where he will lead rock climbing and CrossFit events with the help of adaptive specialists.
“This is uncharted territory and I can’t wait to dive into it because I feel like life is going to be more exciting. I’ve always enjoyed a challenge,” he said.
O’Neill is “crushing his recovery faster than anyone,” Safir said. “John has very high spirits and is ready to get back to some rock climbing.
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