Friends of Vail carpenter helping his recovery from table saw accident with Oct. 24 fundraiser

Calen Golas has had a tough few months.

In May, Golas pulled good friend Nick Courtens from the cold, swift water of the Colorado River after a rafting accident in Glenwood Canyon. Courtens died in that accident.

On Sept. 16, Golas was injured in an accident while using a table saw. Golas was pushing a piece of material through the saw when the piece caught and kicked back. The blade partially amputated Golas’ left hand. He lost portions of four fingers.

That was the first time Golas had been injured in a carpentry accident, and, he said, the first time he’d ever been badly injured.

In the weeks since that accident, Golas has had two surgeries including skin grafts from both the amputated fingers and skin from his thigh to cover other missing skin.

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“In order to get you more whole, they have to cut some pieces out,” Golas said.

Golas’ job now is to keep everything clean, healing, and, of course, physical therapy.

One of Golas’ big challenges in the months ahead will be keeping his left hand warm, especially through ski season.

Perhaps a bigger challenge is maintaining his mental health. Golas sought out counseling in the wake of Courtens’ death, something he calls really important.

“It’s been a very rough year” between Courtens’ death and his injury, Golas said. “I can’t stress enough how thankful I’ve been to the community.”

Golas said he hopes to get back to his carpentry business by December. He’s hoping to get back at least a good part of the mobility in his left hand.

Complicating matters is the fact Golas doesn’t have medical insurance. He didn’t add himself to his company’s workers’ compensation policy and doesn’t have a personal policy. That means he’s facing some very large medical bills. In addition, he hasn’t been able to work, and when an independent business owner isn’t working, the money stops coming in.

Golas said the Vail Valley Charitable Fund has provided rent money for a couple of months, and there’s a GoFundMe page currently taking donations.

There’s also an Oct. 24 fundraiser at the Red Lion in Vail.

Emily Gavagan doesn’t know Golas well but is helping organize the Red Lion event.

Gavagan tried reaching out to the valley’s community in the construction trades. But there’s no organization to find, she said. The event at the Red Lion was a concrete way to help.

Dave Tucker has known Golas for a few years and called him one of the best carpenters he knows.

In an email, Tucker wrote he and Golas got to know each other when helping a mutual friend set up a tattoo studio.

“As soon as I saw his well-kept tools and specialty jigs for setting cabinets I knew he had the goods,” Tucker wrote.

Tucker, a veteran of the construction business, said he’s seen a number of people in the construction trades badly injured in accidents involving power tools.

“All it takes is a split second for something bad to happen,” Tucker wrote. “It’s sometimes like those of us who haven’t had an injury yet are living on borrowed time.”