[Pearls Before Swine]

That happened to me once with a 2 1/2 foot diameter eastern white pine. They seem to fall slowly when you are far away, or perpendicular to the fall. But, when it’s coming at you, they move real quick! I dove into the snow, and a couple of huge branch stubs (which would have gone right through me) were on either side, holding up the trunk. No harm, no foul, right?

[Right Wing Assault]

One of the main rules of felling a tree is to move perpendicular to the intended landing zone, and make sure there is nothing in your path to trip you.

That being said, after safely taking down a couple dozen trees, I took down a 18" trunk ash, over 50 feet high.

For some stupid reason I waited a bit too long to start moving and instead of going to the side, I chose to outrun it.

I had the same experience as you did. There were broken limbs driven in so deep I needed a pry bar to get them out. If I had fallen, I would have been speared. I lost the race but all that hit me were some thin branches at the top.

I still don't understand why I made such a dumb move.