Logger Pulls Himself to Safety After Tree Breaks his Leg
(Windham-WTNH) _ A Connecticut man has an incredible survival story to tell. Donald Berge was alone in the woods, cutting down trees in Windham on Tuesday when a tree trunk swung out and broke his leg. But, what happened right after is what's truly amazing.
News Channel 8's Jayne Saffer reports.

"I didn't want to bleed to death but I knew I had to get out of the woods."

37 year old Donald Berge became his own hero on Tuesday. The logger was a quarter of the way into the woods in Windham cutting down trees when he got pinned under a large oak tree.

Donald Berge: "I just was cutting the tree and it kicked back hit me in the shin. So I took the saw, cut the tree off, and dragged myself on my tractor and drove out to the side of the road."

Berge managed to get back on the tractor with a broken leg and push the clutch with his hand.

Berge: "I just had to put my mind over matter and do what I had to do to get out."

He drove out to the road, somehow got off the tractor, and packed his leg in snow until he was spotted a few minutes later by a neighbor who called 911.

Captain Susan Herrick was one of the first to arrive. She says the logger was cold and wait but alert. Emergency crews were concerned he would go into shock.

Captain Susan Herrick, Windham Center Fire Dept.: "Not so much losing his leg but losing his life. Shock will kill you and it can happen quickly."

Berge is now recovering in the hospital and says it was determination that made all the difference.

Berge: "I didn't think about pain I thought about survival and getting out."

Berge says he's been a logger for 27 years and never once had a problem. He remains in the hospital and may need surgery to fix his leg.

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