I had an old chainsaw with no anti-kick, and was working on f8nishing a tractor trailer load of firewood- I was tired, and didn’t wa5ch my footing and slipped, and fell forward a bit- the chainsaw tip caught the end of a log, and it kicked up into my face- cut a nice gash through my eyebrow, hit my chin, and somehow cut under my nose- came very close to losing an eye.
I was “too macho” (ie too dumb) to wear safety gear. Result? Scarred up face.
The homeowner I was working for threatened to dock me for the down time. We laughed about it, and then I bit his ear off. J/k
Seriously though, wear at least a helmet with faceguard-
I’ve always worn at least hardhat, safety glasses and chaps, if not a face shield. When I started using saws in the 70s, I didn’t believe in hearing protection, but got serious about that when I noticed some hearing loss. Too bad it’ll never come back, but my own fault.
Sorry to hear about your accident. In many, many hours of sawing (including several seasons on a USFS hotshot crew), I have been fortunate enough not to get cut. Knew several guys (and one woman) who had impressive zippers on their arms and legs from a moment of carelessness.