By Shea Fogerty
While retired logger Jon Hutt was up in a remote forest by Montrose, he found himself in a life threatening situation. On Friday, August 19, Jon was in a forest 50 miles southwest of Montrose gathering firewood like he had done many times before. He had come up here alone many times to gather wood in his self-loading log truck for his family and friends. Were he gathered the wood was about 10 miles from cell service.
Everything was going fine until Jon’s trucks trailer slipped, trapping his foot beneath it. The trailer weighed about 6 tons and wouldn’t budge. Jon screamed hopping that someone would hear him, but no one was around. He estimated that it would take about 12 hours before anyone would come looking for him. He knew that he could not remain standing for that long so decided that cutting himself free was the only option. “I just started cutting and I’d cut until I couldn’t do it for a minute or two, Then I’d go ahead and hack away. I finally cut myself loose.” It took him ten excruciatingly long minutes to get his foot free. “I took my shirt off and put it over my toes” Jon explained. He had cut off all five of his toes with a 3 inch pocket nife.
Using his crushed foot, Jon drove10 milesto cell service and called his wife and 911 immediately. He was taken to the Montrose Memorial Hospital where he was treated. His wife though did not get the information until she got back from her midday bike ride. When she found out she rushed to the hospital were Jon was. There she found him laughing and joking as he always does in good spirit. Jon kept his toes in hope that the Doctors could reconnect them. But he says they could not because they were too badly damaged. But he is home thank full that he didn’t lose his hole foot and healing well.
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