A Colorado tree worker miraculously survived a freak accident with a wood chipper that left him losing both legs minutes into his first day on the job.
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.”
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John O’Neill suffered a freak accident during his first day of work that left him with both of his legs amputated on Sept. 24, 2024. Gofundme
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.
O’Neill with his family after he was flown to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. Gofundme
As the machine continued to eat into him, O’Neill began believing his time was ending.
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“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, who had battled addiction is now sober and was excited about his new job. Garrett W Safir / Facebook
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.”
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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.
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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.
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. Garrett W Safir / Facebook
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.
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“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.
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. Garrett W Safir / Facebook
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.”
Police in Northern Colorado are investigating after a crash involving multiple vehicles claimed the life of a pedestrian.
The Greeley Police Department received reports of a crash at the 5500 block of Highway 34 around 5:50 p.m. on Monday. When officers arrived, they discovered that two vehicles were involved in a crash with a 19-year-old woman who attempted to walk across the highway.
Police said there was no crosswalk in the area, and she was struck by the driver’s side of a Chevrolet Blazer. The impact knocked the woman into the inside lane, where she was struck by a Chevrolet Traverse. A witness told officers they saw the woman crossing the roadway ‘as traffic arrived at her location.’
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First responders attempted life-saving measures on the woman at the scene before she was taken to North Colorado Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. GPD said the Weld County Coroner’s Office will release her identity at a later time.
Neither driver involved was injured in the crash. Police said they don’t expect charges to be filed against those drivers at the moment, but the case remains under investigation. The police department asked anyone with information on the crash to contact Officer Ed Kubala at Edward.Kubala@greeleypd.com.
Colorado’s best ski deal? Maybe one that costs nothing at all. At Steamboat Springs’ Howelsen Hill, “Sunday Funday is taken to an entirely new level,” reads the city webpage for Ski Free Sundays. Yes, on Sundays throughout the season, visitors need only to walk into the ticket office to grab a pass at no charge. […]
While Colorado ranks near the middle of U.S. states for carbon emissions per capita, it still produces enough CO2 per person to rival countries on the World Bank’s list of top emitters internationally.
In 2023, Colorado produced 13.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per capita. If it had been ranked by the World Bank during the same year, Colorado would have placed 14th among the more than 200 countries on the list, just behind Canada, at 14.1, and just ahead of the U.S. as a whole, at 13.7.
Among U.S. states, Colorado ranked 26th in carbon emissions per capita. Wyoming had the highest per capita emissions in the country, at 92.9 metric tons, while Maryland had the lowest, at 7.8.
Most of Colorado’s emissions come from energy production and consumption, primarily natural gas and oil production and electric power production and consumption.
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Sources
References:
Colorado State Energy Profile, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link
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2023 Colorado Statewide Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, pg. 128, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, November 2024. Source link
Senate Bill 24-230 Oil and Gas Production Fees, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December, 2025. Source link
Senate Bill 23-016 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Measures, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Carbon dioxide emissions, World Bank Group, 2024, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Energy-related CO2 emission data tables, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link
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Type of Story: Fact-Check
Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.
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Cassis Tingley is a Denver-based freelance journalist. She’s spent the last three years covering topics ranging from political organizing and death doulas in the Denver community to academic freedom and administrative accountability at the…
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