A tree fell at the foot of Oregon Trail in Boonville and humbled Dan Brewer. He had spent his whole in construction and had never been in an accident. It was late in the afternoon on Aug. 17 and he was clearing out trees and brush to facilitate a Missouri River view from one of his properties.
He cut a tree the entire way through using a chain saw but wondered why it hadn’t come down.
He looked up at it and then stepped some six feet back when he saw it start to fall. And that’s the last thing he remembers.
Brewer had facial lacerations requiring 70 stitches and had broken his arm, nose and a vertebra in his back. Once Brewer had recovered enough to move around, he wanted to piece together what had happened. Who had helped him?
He eventually determined that it was newspaper carrier Dodie Carmichael, who has had training as a nurse’s aide, so she knew how to apply pressure using a compress and to keep him talking.
The doctors have told Brewer he can’t return to construction for six weeks, but he said that once that time has passed, he has no concerns about returning to work.
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