Flathead National Forest

An employee was collecting conifer cone crops on an orchard ladder. The employee fell off the ladder to the ground about 10 feet below, suffering a broken leg that required surgery.

An employee was patrolling a store using an electric patrol scooter when they lost their balance and sustained an ankle fracture.

An employee was operating a forklift to move panels around the dock area when the vehicle struck a joint where the two floors meet. The employee lurched forward and struck his head on the steering wheel. The employee then fell from the vehicle and sustained a dislocated disc in their back, requiring hospitalization.

An employee was standing inside a semi-trailer when the driver of the semi-trailer pulled away, causing the employee to fall backward and strike their head on a steel dock plate. The employee suffered a skull fracture, a fractured L1 vertebra, a broken coccyx, a laceration/abrasion to the head, and a brain bleed.

An employee was riding an ATV, catching up with a stray cow to return it to a pen. The ATV tire struck a hole or other obstacle, causing the employee to be ejected and fall to the ground. His leg was broken and he was hospitalized.

An employee was driving a van in reverse when they fell out of the vehicle and landed on the ground in the parking lot. The employee sustained a fractured left hip.

An employee was using a chainsaw to cut downed trees. The employee slipped and fell, and the chainsaw lacerated their left hand.

A crew of approximately 20 employees were constructing hand lines when a dead tree collapsed and injured three of the employees, including two hospitalizations. One employee was hospitalized due to shoulder injuries, and the other employee was hospitalized due to collapsed lungs, spinal injuries, and a broken tibia and fibula.

An employee was cutting brush and shrubs. A bee stung the employee on the base of their neck. The employee sustained an allergic reaction and was hospitalized.

An employee was engaged in initial smokejumper training which includes physical fitness testing, tree climbing training, chainsaw and crosscut certification, as well as initial introduction to equipment and smokejumper-specific safety procedures. Some of the training involves carrying 110 pounds of equipment. The employee reported tightness in his chest and difficulty breathing. The employee was hospitalized with a lung injury.

An employee participated in smokejumper training, which includes carrying weight. He suffered from dehydration and was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis.

An employee was fixing an issue with seed cleaning equipment when he slipped on the ladder he was on. He went to catch himself and his hand went into a moving belt and pulley on the cleaner. The employee sustained the amputation of his right middle and index fingertips just below the fingernails.

An employee was riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) to move a bison herd. He was riding up the side of a steep hill when the ATV struck a rock and rolled, ejecting the employee before rolling over him. The employee suffered broken vertebrae in his back that required hospitalization.

An employee was clearing out dirt from an underground pipe when he was bitten by a rattlesnake on his hand.

An employee was climbing in the spreader area to remove a pasta jam when his right little finger was cut by the rotary cut-off knife. The employee sustained a laceration and fracture, resulting in an amputation.

A smoke jumper parachuted out of a helicopter during a forest fire response, landed on steep rugged terrain, and suffered femur and rib fractures and a liver laceration. The employee was hospitalized.