Colorado

‘Miracle’ Colorado worker loses both legs in wood chipper freak accident on first day on job

Published

1 year ago

October 9, 2024

‘Miracle’ Colorado worker loses both legs in wood chipper freak accident on first day on job

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.”

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.

As the machine continued to eat into him, O’Neill began believing his time was ending.

“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 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.”

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.”

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Colorado

Battle with the Blue Jackets | Colorado Avalanche

Published

12 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Battle with the Blue Jackets | Colorado Avalanche

Columbus Blue Jackets (18-18-7) @ Colorado Avalanche (32-4-7)

2 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

After a homestand-opening win on Thursday, the Avalanche hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets for Next Gen Night on Saturday. This is the second and final regular-season matchup between the teams in 2025-26, as the Avalanche defeated the Blue Jackets 4-1 in Columbus on October 16th.

A Big Night at Ball

Josh Manson recorded the first two-goal and four-point game of his career, along with a Gordie Howe hat trick, as the Avalanche defeated the Ottawa Senators 8-2 at Ball Arena on Thursday. Manson was one of five Avs to post at least three points on Thursday, alongside Nathan MacKinnon (1g/3a), Ross Colton (3a), Brock Nelson (2g/1a) and Cale Makar (1g/2a). Additionally, Brent Burns added a goal for Colorado while Scott Wedgewood stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced in net for the Avs. With the victory, the Avalanche extended its home win streak to 16 games.

At 10:11 of the first period, Manson opened the scoring with his third goal of the season via a shot from the point through traffic. MacKinnon doubled Colorado’s lead at 17:14 of the first period with his 36th goal of the season via a shot from the slot set up by Necas. The Avs took a 3-0 lead at 2:35 of the second period when Makar scored his 13th tally of the season via a left-circle shot after receiving a drop pass from MacKinnon. At 5:08 of the middle frame, Shane Pinto put the Senators on the board. The Senators momentarily made it 3-2 with 13:41 remaining in the second period, but the goal was disallowed after the Avs successfully challenged for offside. After the disallowed tally, the clock was reset to 13:48.

Necas gave the Avs a 4-1 lead on the power play at 11:46 of the second period with his 20th goal of the season via a sharp-angle one-timer from the bottom of the left circle set up by MacKinnon. At 12:03 of the middle frame, Burns made it 5-1 with his sixth goal of the season via a right-point shot through traffic. Nelson gave the Avs a 6-1 lead on a five-on-three power play at 14:23 of the second period with his 20th goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by MacKinnon’s cross-ice feed. The Avalanche took a 7-1 lead at 16:48 of the middle frame when Manson scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the season via a one-timer from the point set up by Jack Drury’s feed. At 18:04 of the middle frame, Nelson scored his second tally of the game and 21st of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Ilya Solovyov’s feed from the left point. Brady Tkachuk made it 8-2 with a shorthanded goal from the doorstep at 7:03 of the third period.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (36) and points (78) while ranking tied for third in assists (42).

All Hail Cale

Makar leads NHL defensemen in points (51) and assists (38) while ranking third in goals by blueliners (13). Among all NHL skaters, he’s seventh in assists.

Marty Party

Necas is seventh in the NHL in points (55) and tied for ninth in assists (35).

Series History

In 70 previous regular-season games against the Blue Jackets, the Avalanche has a record of 45-19-1-5.

Defeat on the Road

The Blue Jackets lost 5-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. In the first period, Columbus took a 2-0 lead after goals from Boone Jenner at 8:24 and Kent Johnson at 10:41 before Reilly Smith put Vegas on the board at 12:20. The Golden Knights took a 4-2 lead after second-period goals from Smith at 5:19, Jack Eichel at 13:07 and Mark Stone on the power play at 18:44. Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets to make it 4-3 at 14:28 of the third period before Brett Howden gave the Golden Knights a 5-3 lead at 16:14 of the final frame.

Contributors Against Columbus

MacKinnon has posted 26 points (7g/19a) in 22 games against the Blue Jackets.

In nine contests against Columbus, Makar has registered 17 points (6g/11a).

Necas has recorded 21 points (4g/17a) in 26 games against the Blue Jackets.

Producing Offense for Ohio’s Team

Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in points (46) and assists (30) while ranking tied for first in goals (16).

Marchenko is tied for the team lead in goals (16) while ranking second in points (35) and tied for second in assists (19).

Dmitri Voronkov is third on the Blue Jackets in points (28) and goals (15).

A Numbers Game

30

Colorado’s 30 five-on-five goals since December 19th (10 games) are the most in the NHL during that span.

63

The Avalanche’s 63 second-period goals lead the NHL.

3.94

Colorado’s 3.94 goals per game since December 1st lead the NHL during that span.

Quote That Left a Mark

“It was fun. I don’t think he’s ever seen that before. He’s seen me fight. He’s maybe seen me score. But I don’t think he’s ever seen—actually, nobody’s ever seen that before out of me in the NHL. So, it was a first for everybody, including myself.”

— Josh Manson on recording a Gordie Howe hat trick with his father, former NHLer Dave Manson, in attendance

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Colorado

Colorado man heads to Washington, D.C., to gain support for Marshall Fire survivors

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Colorado man heads to Washington, D.C., to gain support for Marshall Fire survivors

Four years after the fire, recovery is still incomplete for some Marshall Fire victims. A Colorado man is joining wildfire survivors from across the country to push lawmakers to make changes and provide support for survivors still rebuilding.

Recently, a historic $640 million settlement was reached with Xcel Energy, but the Coloradans who lost everything in the Marshall Fire might not be receiving all the money that they’re owed. Some settlements could be taxed, while others were paid in full.

Benjamin Carter

“I was the fourth responding fire engine to the Marshall Fire. By the end of the night, I was triaging homes in the neighborhood that I grew up in,” said former firefighter Benjamin Carter. “I’ve seen how much the community’s hurting, and I just wanted to do whatever I could to help.”

Carter is now fighting for those who lost their homes, including his mother. He’s working with an organization called After the Fire, joining up with wildfire survivors in Oregon, Hawaii and California. This week, Carter flew to Washington, D.C., to speak with lawmakers about how they can help survivors rebuild.

In 2024, lawmakers passed the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, which exempted wildfire survivors from taxes on related settlements, among other tax relief. But the bill expired last week, shortly after Xcel agreed to settle over the Marshall Fire.

“If the people don’t have to pay taxes on the damages, then it helps them rebuild,” Carter explained. “Some of the smaller attorneys still haven’t received payment, so all those people will be subject to those taxes; all the attorney fees, and what the actual settlements end up being. And, of what they’re actually getting at the end of the day, that’s been a huge challenge.”

Congress has already proposed extension options. But Carter hopes that by sharing their stories, legislators will act before survivors lose anything else.

“With a lot going on in Washington and everything, the representatives don’t always know about all the issues. And so, we want to educate them on this issue and hopefully gain their support,” Carter said.

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Colorado

Boebert takes on Trump over Colorado water

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Boebert takes on Trump over Colorado water

Congress failed Thursday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a Colorado water project that has been in the works for over 60 years. It’s one of two back-to-back vetoes, the first of his second term. But Colorado Republican 4th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert — known for her fierce MAGA loyalties — still […]

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