I then asked Jason if he wanted help. He shook his head and said “Nah. I got this.”

I went back into my house and the next part of the story was recounted by Jason on the way to the emergency room. Jason leaned the ladder up against the offending tree branch and climbed up. He was smart enough to know that he would fall if he sat on the branch he was cutting off and he knew that the ladder would fall if he stayed on the ladder. So he got off the ladder, straddled the branch, and sat with his back to the trunk, and began to work.

Jason’s saw made short work of the branch, and he was smart enough to move the falling branch away from the house. He was not smart enough to move the ladder first. The branch fell to the lawn and the ladder landed propped against his house, a little over five feet below and about five feet away from where he sat. Jason did not call for help. I heard the ladder hit the house, so I looked out my window to check on him and saw him in the tree. I ran over as fast as I could, but by that time, Jason had come up with another brilliant idea. “It’s okay, I got this!” Jason called to me. He stood up on the stump of the branch and jumped.

Jason barely landed on the roof, which must have looked much less steep from above. He did not make it to the ladder. His foot slipped and he fell back off the roof and fell the remaining fifteen or twenty feet to the ground. I ran over to find his forehead bleeding and his left leg bent at an odd angle. “Are you okay?” I asked him, grabbing hold of his arm and trying to help him to his feet.

“I got this.” Jason said as he tried to put his weight on the obviously broken leg.

Submitted on 08/21/2012

Submitted by: Amy
Reference: Personal Account, July 2012

Copyright © 2012 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
Amy, that was very sweet of you to stick by your rather thick-headed neighbor when just about anyone else would have given up on him. That having been said, this one's a keeper if only for his repeatedly saying "I got this"...when he never had a clue to begin with! Thanks!

Shadow said:
Definitely Keep: Personal Account
"I Got this!" famous last words amongst our Darwin winners, I hope Jason learned his lesson.. if not we may well see him again! Thanks!

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