by Cliff Buchan
News Editor
Forest Lake Times

Pete Nelson tried to keep calm and collected. As blood gushed from his severely cut left arm last week, the Lindstrom butcher knew his wound was serious.

ìThis is really bad,î Nelson recalls telling himself as he walked to his office at Community Market. He immediately washed the deep wound and began applying a compress to slow the bleeding.

ìI kept my wits about me,î Nelson said.

But the loss of five pints of blood was too much for the state representative from District 17B to bear. As an employee from Nelsonís meat market drove him to the hospital in Wyoming, Nelson passed out.

It all happened eight days ago and now Nelson is back to work at the market, part-time for now, and hoping to be back on the campaign trail for his reelection bid within two weeks.

ìIím alive and kicking, but I wasnít for a while,î Nelson said, recalling his brush with death Tuesday, Sept. 21.

When Nelson arrived at Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center around noon, he was unconscious and had no pulse. After being given the drug epineferin, he was immediately airlifted to Regions Hospital, St. Paul, where he went into surgery and received blood transfusions.

How it happened

It was 11 a.m. on Sept. 21 when Nelson joined other shop meat cutters for work in the slaughter house.

Nelson was beginning to eviscerate a 2000 pound beef carcass that was hung by the animalís back legs. As Nelson prepared to remove the beefís innards, the heavy animal broke free and began to fall.

ìI ducked and tried to protect myself,î Nelson said. As he instinctively turned and ducked, his motion and the impact of the falling carcass pushed the knife in his right arm into the underside of his left arm.

The cut severed an artery and three tendons.

ìIt was a true accident,î Nelson said. ìThere was no way to foresee it.î

The meat market butchers several hundred bison every year that weigh more than the animal the shop was butchering last week. ìIt was a freak accident,î Nelson said.

Nelson said he kept his wits about him after the blow from the animal and the severe knife cut. But the seven-inch long knife with a two-inch wide blade had taken its toll on his arm, he said.

Not panicking, Nelson said his first thought was to wash the wound to remove animal contaminants and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Rather than wait for an ambulance, Nelson had an employee drive him to Wyoming.

He lost consciousness on the drive. When he awoke, he was in the St. Paul hospital.

2nd life crisis

Nelsonís brush with death last week was not his first life-threatening experience.

Two years ago Nelson, 56, successfully battled stage four cancer in his neck and shoulder.

ìThat was a life and death situation, too,î Nelson said.

His treatment included seven weeks of radiation therapy. It all came as Nelson was beginning to make his first run for the Minnesota House of Representatives serving most of Chisago County.

While last weekís accident has forced him from the campaign trail for now, his team of volunteers is carrying on the work and Nelson hopes to resume full-time efforts in about two weeks.

After spending two days at Regions in intensive care and in the trauma center, he continues to nurse his injured arm at home. He was able to return to the meat market for light duties this week.

ìThe rest of me is functioning well,î Nelson said. ìIím starting to regroup.î

Looking back, Nelson said he knows he is lucky to be alive and thankful for all those who provided help.

ìIím a fortunate and blessed person to be here,î Nelson said. ìThe outpouring of support and encouragement has been unbelievable.î

The well wishes have even come from his opponent in the Nov. 2 election, Jeremy Kalin. In a statement sent to the newspaper this week, Kalin wrote:

ìI extend my sympathy and good wishes to Pete Nelson for a full and quick recovery from his injuries. I am heartened by the news that he should be at home very soon, and that doctors expect a full recovery.

"While Pete Nelson and I may disagree on the issues, I wish him well personally. I look forward to having him out on the campaign trail again very soon, so we can continue our spirited discussion about the issues important to Chisago County: health care, property taxes, education, jobs and transportation.î

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