Bill Singleton Australian pensioner accidentally saws off his face and tongue with a chainsaw Date of Birth: 01.01.1950 Country: Australia

1. The Accident
2. The Horrific Injuries
3. The Drive to the Hospital
4. The Surgery
5. Recovery and Resilience
6. Return to the Chainsaw
7. Multiple Surgeries

Near-Fatal Accident: Australian Pensioner Saws Face and Tongue with Chainsaw

Australian pensioner Bill Slington, 68, accidentally cut his face and tongue with a spinning chainsaw while cutting firewood in a forest. Despite his severe injuries, he managed to drive himself to a nearby hospital.

The Accident

Slington's plan was to cut down a few trees for firewood. He brought two chainsaws with him, but decided to use the larger one. As he started the device, it "roared into life." Tragically, instead of cutting into the tree, the saw bounced back and hit his face.

The Horrific Injuries

The chainsaw lacerated his lower lip and tongue, shattered his jaw, and caused severe bleeding. Slington tried to stop the blood with a handkerchief but quickly began to lose consciousness. He collapsed on his knees, but remembered his phone in his pocket.

The Drive to the Hospital

With his tongue severed, Slington was unable to speak and realized the phone would be useless. Summoning his last ounce of strength, he crawled about 40 meters to his car, applied makeshift bandages, and drove himself 33 kilometers to the hospital.

The Surgery

Upon arriving at the hospital, Slington was met by a team of surgeons who performed hours of reconstructive surgery on his face. Due to the chainsaw hitting the area where his wisdom teeth grew, he lost most of his teeth. His shattered jaw was rebuilt with a metal plate.

Recovery and Resilience

The damage to Slington's nerve left his tongue "speechless" for several weeks. He narrowly missed severing a major artery, and his surgeon noted that a smaller cut or scrape could have been fatal. After three weeks in the hospital, Slington was released to go home.

Return to the Chainsaw

Days later, Slington was back to working with chainsaws again. "If you fall off a bike, you get back on it," said his wife, Lynette. "He was like, 'I'll just go out and have a chop and bring some firewood home.'"

Multiple Surgeries

Over the next three years, Slington underwent two more surgeries to secure his metal jaw and prepare his gums for new teeth. According to Lynette, the most difficult part for her husband has been the dietary changes he had to make. "He's desperate for a pieced steak," she said.