Lumberjack chops off toes with penknife to free himself from machinery

Semi-retired logger John Hutt has always known his line of work is dangerous.

Working alone in a remote wilderness in San Miguel County the morning of Aug. 19, he was forced to cut off all of the toes on his right foot after nearly six tons of machinery slipped and pinned his foot.



Hutt used a 3-inch pocketknife to sever his toes from the machinery. The 61-year-old later drove to a parking lot near the Ridgway Dam, where an ambulance arrived to take him to Montrose Memorial Hospital.

The Montrose man made his decision in about 30 minutes. “What are my chances of people finding me? It wasn’t that hard of a decision to make. I just felt trapped,” Hutt said.

Full story here.