Thinking a street party "ruckus" was over, a man smoked a cigarette outside his home. Then he saw Gary John Salter with a chainsaw.
The man told court he feared Salter, 37, would "cut me up" after being attacked outside his residence north of Brisbane in June 2021.
The man, who was 51 at the time, suffered arm and torso wounds in the Burpengary East incident before trying to run away, a jury heard.
"I was looking into this bloke's black eyes with this look on his face like 'I am going to get you' then he plunged it (chainsaw) into me," he told the District Court trial on Monday.
The man had been woken up by his son, who was 24, in the early hours of the morning after hearing screaming outside their home with a street party in full swing.
A shirtless, shoeless Salter was running around outside "threatening everyone" on the street, prompting neighbours who had emerged from their homes to yell "go home, you're drunk", the court heard.
After Salter was involved in an altercation with a partygoer outside their home, the man's son grabbed the 37-year-old in a headlock and pulled him away, only to be set upon, the jury was told.
The son was punched in the head several times by Salter before fighting back, the man told court.
"Being a big bloke, he (son) turned into The Hulk ... and threw him (Salter) out on the street," the man said.
Salter then "went absolutely ballistic", he said.
"(Salter said) 'you fat c**t, I am coming back to get you, I am going to shoot you'," the man told the jury.
After Salter walked away, he "thought it was over and done with" and had a cigarette with another man outside his home.
"I thought the situation was defused ... (but) I could see something behind (the other man) ... and thought 'what the hell is that?'.
"Gary pushed him (other man) out of the way ... and next thing you know I have got this chainsaw revved up and bang it hit me."
The man said he was struck in the right bicep and torso with the "scars to prove it".
Fearing Salter would strike again, he tried to get away, court heard.
"He went to slash (again). I thought he was going for the neck ... just his body language - he wanted to cut me up," the man said.
"If I didn't move he would have tried to get me ... I thought 'f**k I am out of here'."
The man said he took three steps before his Achilles gave away and he "dropped like a bag of potatoes".
He finally hopped away before his son helped him into their house and police arrived.
"It turned the whole household upside down," the man said of the incident.
Salter was charged with four offences, pleading guilty to three including unlawful wounding.
He pleaded not guilty to one count of wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
His trial before Acting Judge Katarina Prskalo continues.
