In the process of demoing a 100+ year old hardware store. The building is approx 30'x120'. The gas line was up in the attic running the length of the building. It had a T that ran over to an attached building that the owner is saving. Sunday afternoon I was disconnecting a union at the T when I lost my balance a little and stepped between the rafters. Well that happened to be the spot where the door to access the attic was. So it was basically an 8-9 ft free fall to a wood floor pretty much landing square on my back. I probably should feel lucky with only 3 fractured vertebrae, badly sprained ankle and a bunch of bumps and bruises. Just goes to show how fast things can happen at almost anytime. BTW between the insulation and the ceiling tiles there was no way of knowing that access door was even there. As I'm typing this it sounds like the guys only have a couple more loads to haul off. Thankful for good employees!!! Be safe out there!!
Accident only take a split second to play out. Rest up.
Good luck with the recovery, the bonus is, we should hear from you more often. lol
Damn! Falls are the leading cause of death and second leading cause of non-fatal injuries in the construction industry. Prayers for a speedy recovery. Ya'll be safe out there!
Reminds me of a demo job a company I was working for were doing. They were using a 20ton digger and just about had the building flattened when the floor broke open and the digger dropped 10ft into a basement no one knew was there. The operator was a nervous character at the best of times and that job finished him .
Made him quit, or gave him a heart attack??
It was probably 40 years ago, or more--I had to dig for the sewer in front of a 3 story condominium building. The brickies had finished, but their scaffolding was still up. Job superintendent said if I wanted to dig it right away he'd give me a laborer to help me take it down myself. We started at the top, moving the planks down one tier, working off of them to take the higher tier of scaffolding down. Got all the way down, so the planks were on the lowest tier, seven feet off the ground. I stepped on one and it snapped in half. I literally did the proverbial face plant on a pile of 2x4s. I never was that pretty anyway, so no great loss there, but I shudder to think of the outcome had that plank snapped 3 stories up, or if I'd landed just a bit differently than I did. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, bam.
Met Digg once in Vegas at Conexpo and he ain't lyin'.
Glad you're relatively OK and wish you a speedy and complete recovery
I got a sick feeling from reading your thread title. Knew it could not be good. Heal up fast. Sorry to hear about that. On the bright side, you can hang out with us more. We have an entertaining thread about boots and overweight flaggers, trending.
Yes trending.
He was Gonski,quit. Went to another outfit and backed a digger off the side of a dirt stockpile were he had been loading trucks, climbed out of that and went home. Don't know what happened to him after that.
Thanks for all of the 'well wishes'. I'm starting to get a little mobile. I have a half ton chevy pickup that I normally don't use for work. It is just high enough that it is a bit difficult to get in and out of with this back brace on. My lady friend has a mid sized SUV that is about the perfect height. I finally talked her into swapping vehicles. She thought that I needed to stay in the house a few more days. It's 60-65 degrees in the mid of Feb in Iowa. There is no way in h3ll I can stay in the house!!!!
*wish I had seen this sooner* How long are you scheduled to be in the back brace? I ask because my wife broke a single vertebrae , hospital wanted to put her in a brace for 90+ days, MD friend got wind and called his buddy, an orthopedic surgeon, one consult, some extra x-rays, an MRI, and Kyphoplasty surgery. Nine days later, she danced at our daughter's wedding reception--no brace, ever
90 days is what they originally told me. It happened on superbowl sunday and I think it has been about 3 weeks since the last time I wore it. Things have been going pretty good. I'm far from 100% but it seems to be slowly improving. I have been trying to be careful but I am afraid it is only a matter of time before I screw up and lift something that I shouldn't and screw it up. Glad to hear your wife is doing good!!!!
I missed this thread earlier too. So sorry to hear of your fall. I'm not sure if the back can heal with time or needs surgery. I had 10 compression fractures of my verterbrea due to multiple myeloma. I had 2 vertebroplasty procedures where they use bone cement to repair the fractures and use a little extra to act as an internal cast. They have to look at an x-ray to do the procedure so they don't glue the vertebrea to the disc's. It caused a curve in my spine and I lost 5". I still have back pain but I think it's more from the kidneys. The first vertebroplasty was amazing! Almost instant relief from agonizing back pain. Unfortunately the second procedure didn't have as much relief. Are there any procedures or operations they can do to help repair your back?