Frank Arce is no stranger to the dangerous machine; it’s his job.
But on January 23, the man from Longview Washington got a little too acquainted with his work.
A log had become stuck in the hopper, that’s the part where you put the wood in. So he turned it off (yes, he DID think of that) and climbed in.
The 23-year-old was mangled by the “porcupine.” As you can tell by the name, that’s the really sharp part.
Nobody really knows how the chipper came back on, but the general thought is that a coworker flipped a switch not knowing the chipper was on that same circuit.
Arce has a broken pelvis, broken leg, seven broken ribs, a shattered ankle, a bruised liver, a collapsed lung. Reports say he has even more unspecified injuries.
He’s just happy to be alive and credits his survival to “guardian angels.” Appropriately, the tattoo on his chest reads “Send me an angel.” It sounds like he got his wish.