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General => General Forum => Topic started by: Squirl on November 07, 2012, 10:09:57 AM

Title: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Squirl on November 07, 2012, 10:09:57 AM
I have not posted much.  Difficulty typing.

I was roofing my house the last week in September.
I was on the second to last sheet.
A light rain started to fall.
I realized it was dangerous so I started to climb down.
I slid and fell head first off the edge.
I lucked out and put my hands up to break the fall.
I crushed both wrists, dislocated both hands, broke the tips of both arms, and took a chip out of my hip socked.
My arms are held in place by external fixators.
(http://www.smith-nephew.de/sites/default/files/styles/produkt/public/field/image/Jet-x_Mini_1_1.jpg)

As embarrassing as the story is, I wanted to share it so others don't learn the hard way.
Wear a safety harness.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: archimedes on November 07, 2012, 10:20:35 AM
I was wondering what happened to you.  I was afraid it might be something like this.

Were you alone when this happened?

Glad you survived,  get well soon.

Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: MountainDon on November 07, 2012, 10:24:21 AM
Sorry to hear about that. You could have been killed.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Erin on November 07, 2012, 11:05:59 AM
Personally, I'm scared of heights.  There's no way I'd be on a roof without a safety harness.
I can barely climb a ladder without needing one!  lol 


I'm so glad you're alive to tell the tale, Squirl! (and not paralyzed, crippled or any of the other myriad of ways this could have gone so much worse).  I hope everything knits the way it needs to.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: UK4X4 on November 07, 2012, 12:22:44 PM
ouch !

sorry to hear of your accident, and hope things mend swiftly and with no long term damage.

Climbing harness...check !
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Windpower on November 07, 2012, 05:23:37 PM
Squirl

I am very sorry to hear this

I was keeping up with your build ... wondered what happened

Take care and heal up for next year

How did you get to a hospital ?   you were not alone,  I trust.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Redoverfarm on November 07, 2012, 05:42:59 PM
Sorry about the fall.  I can't count the near misses I have had but survived.  Lucky I guess.  When I was full speed at the cabin on scaffolding and roof my wife would gringe everytime her phone rang at work thinking that I was enroute to the emergency room.  Most of the time I was a lone worker which made it worse.  Several people have died not necessarily from the fall but the lasped time before discovery. 

Take care and mend fast but don't overdo it getting back to work until you are COMPLETELY healed.  Experience talking.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: flyingvan on November 07, 2012, 09:03:46 PM
Good luck with your healing and thanks for posting the warning. 
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: ColchesterCabin on November 08, 2012, 09:35:10 AM
OMG Squirl, I hope you heal up okay. We just finished the roof with roof jacks and staging and we just used a rope attached to the pier opposite side of the roof. Hindsight would have used a harness, but at the same stroke realized the roof 24' high 12/12 pitch was no place for me. I have a couple of moments so I think I'll hire out my steel roof instalation in the spring.

I second Red I severed the tennion to my wrist several years ago and I went back to work too early, it has never healed properly, same thing with my rotator cuff last fall. It is still giving me grief. So please do take the necessary time to heal. I know it may be frustrating but will be worth it to heal properly.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: MushCreek on November 08, 2012, 04:38:03 PM
Sorry to hear about your accident, Squirl- Hope you heal soon! I use a harness all the time, but the transition of getting up on the roof and back off is scary, because at some point you have to take the harness off. I use a lot of extra energy and time just making sure I am safe.

When I had my barn framed, the workers walked along the top of the 2X6 wall some 14' off the ground, with nothing to hold on to at all. No thanks!
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: waggin on November 08, 2012, 07:31:03 PM
Sorry to hear about your fall.  After reading this initially, it made me think about everything I've been doing at height over the last couple of days and questioning every move/lean/balance/support while using power tools and being up on the ladder.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Alan Gage on November 09, 2012, 09:11:09 AM
Wow, what a bummer.

Wearing a harness is a good thing but people should also be aware that depending on the style of harness they can kill you too if you're left to dangle for more than a few minutes without someone to assist you up/down.

http://www.twu562.org/Safety/Suspension%20Trauma.pdf

Alan
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: OlJarhead on November 09, 2012, 11:49:46 AM
OUCH!  I'm sorry to hear that Squirl and hope you heal quickly and well!
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Squirl on November 10, 2012, 06:44:59 PM

Thank you all for the well wishes and support. I am sincerely touched.  I am sorry I didn't respond sooner.  I had surgery to remove the fixators.  I can wear a long sleeved shirt and coat again.

Another mistake probably was I was working alone.  I remained mostly conscious through the incident.  After I fell I was hoping to walk it off.  I took a look at my hands and realized they weren't suppose to be bent like that.  I knew it was a trip to the hospital.  I called for help twice and realized how fantastically pointless it was. I was in the middle of nowhere and no one was around.  That is the other side of the alone in the wilderness dream.  No help. I was wet, lightly dressed, clinging to consciousness, with two dislocated hands, crushed wrists, broken arms, what I later found out was a broken hip and the sun had just set with temperatures falling.  I didn't have a lot of options.  I picked myself up and put one foot in front of the other to stagger myself to the road.  That was when I was most concerned.  This way if I passed out from shock, a car would most likely drive by within an hour or two.  I made it to the nearest neighbor.  I had to knock with my head.

Yeah I'm lucky.  The doctors made it very clear that if I hadn't put my arms up it would have been my neck.  They said the best case scenario would be I would be drooling on myself for the rest of my life.  I'd probably rather be dead.  In reality no one would have looked for me for a day and the shock combined with the other factors, I would have died a slow cold death from hypothermia.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: John Raabe on November 10, 2012, 07:47:54 PM
Boy, what a story Squirl.

"I was in the middle of nowhere and no one was around.  That is the other side of the alone in the wilderness dream."

Lots of people have posted here, but I'm sure I speak for all our members when I say we are thankful it wasn't worse and we will take your safety message to heart.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: firefox on November 10, 2012, 10:00:57 PM
Welcome back Squirl. I have been trying to aquire safety gear for awhile now to prepare for my build in a year or two. This really helps to reafirm that I am not just being overly cautious.
Bruce
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: MushCreek on November 11, 2012, 06:49:53 AM
Being alone makes it much, much worse. What a scary story! I check in with my wife regularly by cell phone. If I don't call at the appointed times, there are several local people (including next door) she can call to check on me. Assuming I survived a major accident, at least I know that help is eventually on the way.

She and I will both be greatly relieved when the roof is finished!
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: PEG688 on November 11, 2012, 11:32:51 AM
 Makes my advice to Mush creek on his "Getting sheathing onto the roof" thread  seem spot on!

Sorry to hear about your fall, hope you heal up quickly!

Best of luck. 
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: upndown on November 13, 2012, 07:57:49 PM
Squirl, Glad to hear your on the mend!! Makes me look back at some of the things i've done with no one around..Even something as simple as ladder work. Thanks for the eye opener!!
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Checi on November 16, 2012, 01:58:53 PM
ooooooo, so sorry to hear this but so glad you survived.

A long time ago at work, we had to do "Fall safety training" and I remembered this one small but powerful point that was made during the course: It takes less than a 6 foot fall to kill a person.   
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: old_guy on November 27, 2012, 01:57:10 PM
Squirl;

Sorry to hear that you took a spill - delighted that you have only injuries which should (substantially) heal.  If it is any consolation, your misfortune will probably prevent others here from a similar fate.

I took a ladder ride a few years back and shattered the radial head in my elbow along with breaking a bone in my wrist.  I learned 2 significant things while healing.
1) there is nothing worth watching on television during the daytime.
2) Do your physical therapy!  Don't ever make an excuse to miss a session, or to do less that you should.  I was told to expect about 80% of normal range of motion, and ended up with 100%.  The doctors said it was probably because I was so aggressive and consistent with my therapy.  I still have things to do with this old body, and am glad I made the effort.

PT is tedious and usually not fun, but EVERY person I know who has skimped on their therapy ended up with permnent pain or permanent reductions in limb usefullness.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Don_P on November 29, 2012, 11:02:09 AM
I feel your pain Squirl, sometimes more than I otter. On PT do check your policy, mine was limited to 20 visits/year, I was about $3K over the limit when those bills started hitting my mailbox. At $300/hr they can clean house quick.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: old_guy on November 29, 2012, 02:32:24 PM
Regarding the PT - I stayed well within the allowable visits, but was able to get good information from the therapist regarding doing exercises on my own.  Paying attention to the therapist and asking a lot of questions let me do effective therapy without paying the big bucks.

No reason to tie the elastic to their fancy wall hook for the resistance exercises.  Tie them to a doorknob and work out at home.  I even tied one to the inner passenger armrest on my truck, and exercised my elbow during my long commute.

Just learn the correct way to work the injured limb and do it.

I need to look at harnesses.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: MountainDon on November 29, 2012, 03:12:24 PM
QuoteJust learn the correct way to work the injured limb and do it.


Correct method is key. When I was shown what to do and what NOT to do last year when I had a hip issue it did not take all that long. (I never broke anything, just misused / abused a muscle.


Karen had an issue with a knee. When she went into PT and told them she did not have insurance that covered that hardly at all, she got lucky and one of the therapists showed her what to do in a corner of the waiting room. I was amazed at that; this is the biggie local health care provider in the area.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: considerations on December 07, 2012, 09:25:35 PM
Yikes...humbling...can you return the Superman cape?

Now when people tease me as being overly cautious...I can just smile, and think of you.

Could have been any one of us in a fleeting moment of distraction.

I hope it hurt less than I imagine.

Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Squirl on December 10, 2012, 10:05:33 AM
Thank you all again for the tips and well wishes.  I checked the insurance.  60 visits of rehab per calendar year.

Rehab is going well and I have probably gained back half of the movement in my writs and I can open some bottles and jars again.  The downside it the pain in the right wrist means they will likely have to rebrake it.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: containercabin on December 11, 2012, 04:23:03 PM
I am so sorry to read this. I hope you get well soon. This is such a scary story
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: rick91351 on December 11, 2012, 08:47:49 PM
Squirl Myself as someone that has been busted up a lot - I can only imagine what you have gone through.  Get better and stay that way dang it!

Rick and Ellen
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Don_P on December 11, 2012, 10:56:37 PM
I'm sorry to hear they might need to rebreak one but arthritis is not your friend. If they can improve the alignment and are confident in that area healing well I'd go for it. It is an injury that requires the patience of Job. I finally learned to roll a kayak when they were pretty far along and I had fiberglass on both arms. Good news on the PT allowance, it had never occured to me to check the policy for that.

I was 19 when I took that spill. With the casts on during that period I had a misunderstanding over a traffic offense that required my overnight presence downtown. It was somewhat of a relief as a young man to have what I was sure were axe murderers give me wide berth. I'm sure they were thinking "Another young hot tempered barroom brawler  ::)"

One thing I did learn... ok most other folks would probably not get into the situation of breaking a cast, and then might think twice about home repair, but I was somewhat of a late bloomer. I mixed up fiberglass polyester resin with the hardener and wrapped some fiberglass cloth around the crack and then saturated the cloth with the resin. I'd be good as new in an hour. It would be hard to find a better front row seat from which to enjoy an exothermic chemical reaction   :D.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: MountainDon on December 11, 2012, 11:02:10 PM
Quotefront row seat from which to enjoy an exothermic chemical reaction

nothing like science lessons first hand  ;D
hope that reaction ceased before further harm was done.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Don_P on December 11, 2012, 11:43:39 PM
Nothing permanent, but it did seem like a fine night to go for a long drive with my arm out the window  :) The tiny sea shells packed inside in a couple of places kinda mystified the doc but those things were like a sufboard out in front of you
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: drainl on December 17, 2012, 09:43:08 PM
Wow Squirl!   :(  Just seeing this now.  Your thread had been quiet and I was wondering how your progress was going.  We're having a very mild winter here so far which might help your building site stay in good shape.  I hope your recovery is going well! 
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: cbc58 on December 19, 2012, 12:51:31 PM
Very sorry to hear of your accident.  Wow...  things can turn in the blink of an eye.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Don_P on December 19, 2012, 02:03:52 PM
I was thinking about you this morning... mainly cause we haven't heard from you in awhile! But I remembered something, that might be too late to be of use. A pair of the largest shoulder length gloves from the farmers co-op makes showering a little more pleasant. I didn't think of that the first time and had everyone saving bread bags while I was in plaster, my wife suggested it when I broke one later and they are alot more handy. Hope you're getting better by the day, let us hear from you  :).
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Squirl on January 15, 2013, 11:16:04 AM
Thank you.  I know I don't type responses as much.  I am getting better with typing, but with the sensation loss in one of my hands, I still avoid it a little more.  I am getting better quickly.  I have 90% of my range of motion back and I started strength training.  Surprisingly my strength training is playing with a hammer.  My physical therapist asked if I had one.  (I fell off a roof right  d*)

Thank you all for the concern.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Don_P on January 15, 2013, 12:17:48 PM
Yeah, but did you find the hammer  ;D
Good to hear things are progressing.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: rick91351 on January 15, 2013, 12:32:08 PM
Quote from: Don_P on January 15, 2013, 12:17:48 PM
Yeah, but did you find the hammer  ;D
Good to hear things are progressing.

Don he most likely slid it back in the loop of his tool belt on the way down.   ;D

Always put your tools away and besides might hurt landing on it.   ;)
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Squirl on March 01, 2013, 12:33:09 PM
Thank you all for all the prayers, well wishes, and advise.  I should have posted this a little earlier. At the end of last month I was cleared from rehab.  I got 100% of the normal range of motion in my left hand and 95% in my right.  That last 5% has been a little sticky, but I can get that on my own.  The therapist told me on the first day that I would be lucky if I could push open a door with my palm after a year.  It isn't the most pleasant sensation, but I can do it now.  When I could do some pushups, I was told there wasn't anything more they could do for me and the rest of the strength I would get back slowly on my own.  As some may have noticed, my typing has improved greatly in just the past few weeks.  I've lost most of the feeling from the ulnar nerve in my left hand, but I didn't play the guitar or the piano before, so no real loss.  I feel like I am ready to get back to work on my project and when the weather breaks, it is go time again. 

Again, thank you all for the support.
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: itpdk9 on March 01, 2013, 12:52:46 PM
Congrats, and great to hear that you are almost all the way back.  I am sure you can't wait to get back at it.  Congrats again prayers and hard work go along way.  I am excited to see some pics of your build when your back at it.

scott
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Alan Gage on March 01, 2013, 05:18:44 PM
Hooray!
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: archimedes on March 01, 2013, 05:58:56 PM
That's great news.   d*

Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Don_P on March 01, 2013, 06:20:21 PM
I'm glad to hear the mending has gone so well. I've been going round over whether to have the ulnar nerve reattached, same here, my sisters are the musicians and it's a great excuse not to do pushups  ;D. What I'm a bit embarrassed for not asking, is the house dry and secure, has it made it through this spell ok?
Title: Re: Wear a safety harness.
Post by: Squirl on March 06, 2013, 12:20:36 PM
I'm getting used to the numb sensation.  It most effects me when I am typing and I don't always know if I hit two keys or if I hit them hard enough.

The house is not dry and secure.  The question prompted me to update my build thread.  I went back in November to get my Jeep.  There are 1 and a half sheets of roofing still not on the back side of the roof.  The ridge cap is not on and the gable end sheathing is not in place.  When I went back in November, there was no damage and the interior was surprisingly dry.  I am not as worried about the interior.  I used advantech flooring and a good breeze blows through, which will hopefully help with evaporation.  I was also surprised, at the time, there was no damage to the tar paper.  I can't imagine that would be the case at the beginning of April.  I will chalk up whatever damage I find to my own carelessness in not wearing a safety harness in the first place.  I will just have to redo part of it.  I learn the hard way.

(http://captainofcalamity.com/s/img0095.JPG)