A Good Pair of Scissors

It’s no secret, having the right tool for the job can make all the difference, just ask Cory Taylor. Cory sent us an email several months ago telling us how carrying a pair of Klein Tools scissors may have saved his life.

Cory holding the scissors
used to rescue him.

That is how Cory’s email started, his boss chiding him for using a pair of old wire cutters instead of a good pair of scissors to do work as a low voltage electrician. Cory says at first he argued, saying there wasn’t a job he couldn’t do without wire cutters, but as he wrote “I didn’t know how wrong I was.”

Cory says he finally gave in and bought a pair of our Stainless Steel Free-Fall Snips. He admitted they were handy, but he didn’t realize the true value of the scissors until a few weeks later. Cory says he and another electrician were headed home at the end of a long week, when his friend fell asleep at the wheel and veered into the median. He overcorrected and flipped the car several times landing in an embankment. Cory said in his email, “I remember the terrible taste and smell of the airbag, something I’ll never forget.”

When paramedics arrived, they found Cory trapped inside the car with the seat belt imbedded in his chest. He writes, “[the paramedic] took out a pair of scissors to cut away the seat belt. She gave up on them quickly, throwing them into the grass and shouted to the other paramedics ‘I need a good pair of scissors!!’” That’s when, Cory says, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his new Klein Free-Fall Snips. He says the paramedic was able to cut through the seatbelt “like a hot knife through butter.”

Cory wrote, “I had never been so happy to have a good pair of scissors.” We are glad you had them too, Cory!

It is truly remarkable to hear of situations like Cory’s, where our tools contributed to saving lives. We learned just last year that our Borescope was used to help find and rescue children trapped in a tornado damaged school. Back in 2011, we had the opportunity to donate 100 High-Leverage Cable Cutters to some Tucson-area firefighters as rescue tools.

Do you know of a situation where tools helped save your life or the lives of others? Tell us about it on our Facebook page or Email us. We’d love to hear about it.