Lesson learned - Saturday morning went to get on the dozer about 7am to doze some fire lanes around 60 acres we are going to control burn to reduce the fuel on the ground. When I got to the dozer I approached the back of the left track. Reached up with right hand and grabbed handle. As I started to step up with left foot I thought "hmmmm I bet the track is slick since it was covered with dew". Like a dummy I stepped up anyway. About the time my right foot was coming up, the left foot slipped and I went down to the track. The shin on the left leg hitting the top of the tracks. Rolled off track to the ground, wanted to lay down and cry but didn't. I walked around the dozer for a minute trying to "walk it off", looked down and front of jeans was covered in blood. Dropped jeans down to ankle so I could have a look to see how bad it was. About that time my Dad pulls up on the tractor and wants to know why I have my jeans down around my ankle. Then he sees the blood. He asks if I need to go have it seen about. I said no, it will stop in a bit. I get up on the dozer and start dozing the fire lanes. After about 15 minutes this thing is still gushing blood. Drive the dozer over to the pickup and start looking for something to make a bandage. All I can find which is anywhere close to a bandage is a roll of paper towels behind the seat and some ploy hay bailing twine in the bed of the truck. I make me a makeshift bandage all tied up with the orange baling twine. Get back on the dozer and finish about 5 hours of work. Drive home, jump in the shower to get cleaned up and the shin is still bleeding. Wife bandages the shin up this time with the correct stuff. Now 48 hours later this cut is still "leaking" watery blood. I guess I should have gone to the Doc in a box to see about stitches. My question is - I'm a decent size fellow with more than enough body fat, but why isn't there any body fat on my shin between the skin and bone? Lesson learned - next time I will climb up on the tracks from the blade.
No...no...anything but the shin! Youch!
We are all feeling the pain . :eek2 Please include in your lesson learned - purchase first aid kit to keep in truck for future emergencies! :yup
I hear u on that, im no doctor but there is nothing between the shin bone and the skin haha. When i was about 14 or so i was at a job with my dad, took the skid loader there on a trailer behind the pickup. Anyhow, my dad was aguring holes for street lights in the skid loader while i was grabbing shovels outa the truck, i was in the back of the truck and after i through the tools off instead of just jumping off the side of the truck i decided to walk climb over the tailgate and walk accross the tougue onto the trailer.. didnt make it halfway. Same as ur mistake, there was dew on the tounge and my second step slipped right off and my shin ran straight down a long a** bolt that was sticking out holdin the trailer jack on! It smarted a little.. didnt think it was to bad, till i sat down and picked my pant leg up to see my skin split wide open, with a tint of white (bone) behind all the blood. It sucked, and yea it bleeds alot. Made a make shift bandage with a bandana and off to the hospital for 11 stiches. Good times.
I cringe thinking of how much a shin gouge like that hurts.... :crying I keep a first aid kit in the back seat of my truck that has bandages ranging in size from "ouch" to "Oh My God!"
Use the three point mount and dismount rule when getting on and off equipment. As I get older I find jumping up to get on or down to get off just doesn't happen anymore.
Yea...i hear ya, but didnt really have the 3 point contact rule back then you know!?
Damage to the shin seems more painful than other parts of the body. Quite a few years ago, I banged my shin real hard on a piece of metal. It chipped a piece out of the shin bone, and I still have an indent in my shinbone to this day. That one really smarted.
All y'all are right. After more than one similar episode (and a torn ACL and MCL from. . . well, having too much fun), I use the 3-point rule, always try to ask myself what will happen--will I yank my finger off--if I slip and fall, and I have invested in some that fancy 3M traction tape that looks like 100 grit sandpaper. I put that stuff on the top rung of my 2' stepladder (I fell of the top, where you ain't supposed to land, when trying to warsh the top of my Duramax truck), on the trailer tongue (you just have to step up there sometimes, and anywhere else like that. The 3M tape is a little expensive but cheaper that getting a staph infection and nearly losing a leg--I don't want to go there. If your trailer tongue and step ups don't have the traction tape, get you some today .