Goofy injuries working on your rides

Truckedup, That's funny as hell. I wondered what the name of that dance was.

As for me, two broken fingers and two trips to the eye doc for the same piece of metal.
Never weld in shorts, don't ask.

 

i was welding on a car when a bug bit me in the back and i went to go swat it away... forgetting the welding rod was still in my hand.... i still got a scar on my back and a hole on one of my work shirts.

 

Did the TIG dumby move......fired the ard out of the tip of my elbow. Twitched for about an hour. Had the scarred tattoo redone to hide the idiot move.

Working on a generals golf cart at work trying to diagnose a problem I had a helper working the throttle to keep it running when I pulled a stubborn vacuum line......a bit too close to the belt when it popped off. Caught my pinky and shot the whole think out the back of my hand. All I could think was I hate golf.

Had a stuck BBC water pump pop off while my hand was perfectly placed on the crank pulley.......severed the thumb about 90%.

Hooking up the sway bars on my ma's camper I put the pipe on the hook to lock the chain.......didn't know the trick of jacking up the tongue to take the tension off..........when it popped off it hit me square in the jewels and propelled me about nine feet(her description) vertical before landing in the culvert. Thanks ma.

 

I was using a coat hanger to hang small parts for spraying. I'll use the large loop end to hang off a nail or what ever is available and the hook end to put the part on.

Usually I take these things down immediately after the part is dry. One time I didn't. And of course I walked in to it. The hook end went up in to the socket of my eye. First reaction was to pull back. which I did and all I did was bend the hook straight. I got it out and put my hand to my head only to pull it down to look (with one eye) at a hand full of blood. Sh*t. Went into the bathroom thinking I lost an eye or something completely gruesome. Turned out it went through the lid and ripped it nicely. Man I was lucky...

No wire coat hangers..........

 

i was putting a new front crossmember in a model a once.
it was a restoration so it had to be rivited
i made a real nice wedge that was ajustable to hold the rivet on the bottom so we could flatten them on top of the frame
first rivet helt it awsome, but thats where my design had a flaw... not enough ajustment to get the wedge back out. it would rock in the frame but not come out completely
so i took a prybar out and pulled like a mother... it came out
and my arm continued to the right... and i atomic elbowed the other frame horn with my funny bone
knocked the frame off the jack stands and had the frame slide down my leg and pealed a layer of skin off my shin from knee to ankle
couldn't use my arm for a week or so
tk

 

Had a straight six on a cheep 3 wheeled motor stand and was pulling it across the concrete floor by the crank pulley... Fell over and the crank snapped the middle finger off of my left hand. Luckily, I was wearing a leather glove so the finger was easy to find.

Buddy drives me to nearest ER and they scubbed the crap out of it, wrapped it up and sent me to Portsmouth Naval Hospital. No pain meds or anything... So I have my buddy Vinnie stop at 7-11 and buy a 6-pack. Slammed it down on the way. My records say it was alcohol related, but I didn't start drinking until after I cut the damn thing off.

They did a heck of a job putting it back on, 20 years and it's still hanging on...

Rg

 

I've welder my rachet across the battery posts and burnt my hand and tried to jump up quick after dirt fell in my face and eyes under a car (doesn't work, you head hits the bottom of the car).

Worse one I ever did was knock a car off the jack on my leg. Thank god it was a Fiat and didn't weight that much.

Also, don't look into a carburator that you know is backfiring if you like your eyebrows.

At least I got smarter as I got older so I don't do that type of stuff much anymore.

 

I got punch drunk. Literally. Was welding a piece of clamped steel under the car, it came loose and rung my head like a bell. The vibration of the noggin ringing dislodged calcium in the inner ear which floated around and eliminated my sense of balance for a week or two. Sucked bad. Real bad.

The ironic part.......was welding a driveshaft SAFETY loop.

 

Not a serious injury, but about 13 years ago I was working under a car that wasn't jacked up, I just kinda shimmied under (when I was still skinny enough to do that). Well wouldn't you know...I sneezed, and when I did my body jerked in such a way that my head slammed on the radiator support and then slammed back down to the concrete. Those around me were pretty surprised at the language coming out of my 15 year old mouth.

 

A couple weeks ago, a friend told me a good one...

He had removed the gas tank from his car to clean it out. For whatever reason, his wife had been bitching at him all day. He turned on his shop vac to clean out the inside of the tank, and the wifey comes in the garage to bitch at him some more.

He's sucking up raw gasoline with the shop vac. She walks by it at the exact moment it ignites the fumes inside the vac... BOOM!
Top of the vacuum blows off amid a 5 foot diametr fireball, and smacks her in the side of the head. She flies backwards a few feet and hits the ground stone cold knocked out!!!

She's out for several minutes, so he had time to calm down and come up with a good story. When she came around he told her she had been bitching at him, and she had passed out and landed face first on the ground [to explain the big red mark on the side of her face]... Convinced her it must have been her high blood pressure that caused her to pass out, and she needed to stop bitching at him or it could kill her

He claims she bought it, and there was peace and quiet in the house for several months.

 

Grounded the positive terminal on my alternator with my wristwatch while adjusting the belt on my 55 chevy. Damn nice scar on my left wrist now!

 

I've had so many "stupid" injuries I can't coun't them all.
*Putting a car on a lift, I raized up from putting the arms under the car and sliced my forehead open on the control box. Ran to the sink and scrubbed all of the grease out while I was still trying to figure out if it hurt or not.
*While welding a wrought iron gate with an arc welder, I welded my wedding ring to the gate. I had to twist back and forth to snap it loose. There's still a small chunk of gold stuck to that gate.
*I was cleaning some suspension parts with an angle grinder with a knotted wire wheel on it when my t-shirt got in the way. The grinder wrapped both of my arms up in the shirt, gouged my belly, and sat there and hmmm'ed until it over heated and popped the internal thermal switch.
*It took a few trips to the Eye Doctor to get metal extracted from my eyes before I realized that a full face shield wasn't that uncomfortable.
*My L5-S1 disc is almost nonexisting anymore due to me thinking that I am stronger than I actually am.

 

Got in a hurry to replace the rear shocks on a 67 Catalina Convertible. Had been working on the rear brakes and had the jack stands under the frame rails. I laying underneath it, happily removing the upper bolt of the shock. As I t wisted the last thread loose and the backing plate shot against my rib cage, I remembered that I shoulda moved the jack stands to underneath the axle. Bruised ribs hurt worse than cracked ones. Had I been directly underneath the backing plate, I probably wouldn't be writing this.

 

I drilled halfway through my leg once...

 

I'm not sure I am worthy but here goes.
Thought I bumped my knuckle on the still spining grinder wheel, until I relized my finger would not straighten out. Pulled the glove off to find the cut nicley welded shut but I could feel the tendon shrinking up my arm (nasty) felt like worms crawling inside.

Welding 101
When welding under a truck that has the Gas tank in it without a filler neck NEVER NEVER belive your knuckle head buddy that says "it's been empty for years" and masking tape over the opening will NOT stop welding spater. I just couldn't figure out were that dog was that was going "WOOF WOOF" until I turned around to see the big fire ball. The ex buddy was running out the door, left me tangeld in welding cords to fend for my self. My hair and Eye Brows grew back eventualy, gave me one hell of a sunburn.

Famous last words "I don't need jack stands I'm just going to look at somthin real quick" This quote provided curtosey of the before mention ex Buddy he has one hell of a limp now!

 

In the Army at Edgewood Arsenal, MD, in '66, was working on my '54 Hudson gasser over a pit in the post hobby shop. Went to step from one side to the other and missed. Right leg down in the 5" deep pit, right shoulder smashed into the cement top corner...rest of me wound up in the bottom of the pit in a lump. My shoulder hurt so bad I couldn't even move. 1/2 hour later someone finally came by to see why I was so quiet. Shoulder hasn't been right ever since.

 

I hate burns so there for i keep a great big can of the wonder drug WD-40 in my weld shop, it works wonder on burns. Building a new clutch rod for the shoe box couple of nights ago , like a dumb ass heat the 3/8 rod with the torch get just the right bend and then grab it to take out of the vise,,,,,,,, WD-40 to the rescue, no sting or blister .

 

I'm not sure I am worthy but here goes.
Thought I bumped my knuckle on the still spining grinder wheel, until I relized my finger would not straighten out. Pulled the glove off to find the cut nicley welded shut but I could feel the tendon shrinking up my arm (nasty) felt like worms crawling inside.

Welding 101
When welding under a truck that has the Gas tank in it without a filler neck NEVER NEVER belive your knuckle head buddy that says "it's been empty for years" and masking tape over the opening will NOT stop welding spater. I just couldn't figure out were that dog was that was going "WOOF WOOF" until I turned around to see the big fire ball. The ex buddy was running out the door, left me tangeld in welding cords to fend for my self. My hair and Eye Brows grew back eventualy, gave me one hell of a sunburn.

Famous last words "I don't need jack stands I'm just going to look at somthin real quick" This quote provided curtosey of the before mention ex Buddy he has one hell of a limp now!

 

Alternator fan blade to the back of the hand while working on my 65 Chevy pickup, engine running.
Welding wire threaded thru the heel of my hand while reloading a spool gun.
While looking for parts on the lower shelf of the driveline shop workbench, touched the air hose with a 1/2" impact wrench attached, bounced the impact off the side of my head, broke glasses.
Then the classic 1/8" drill bit into the leg while not paying quite close enough attention.

 

I was dropping the trans in my '65 Chev C-10 had it up on the drive up ramps with a cement block behind the rear tires,and was having a hard time busting the last bolt loose,so I put a breaker bar to it and gave it a hard tug and pulled the damn truck off the ramps on top of me.Luckily my neighbor was in his driveway next door and ran over,my wife heard me hollar and ran out and grabbed the front bumper and lifted up the truck and the neighbor slid a jack under and pulled me out.My left wrist has a nice scar where it got caught on the tire and rubbed on the driveway,also ended up with a broken collarbone.My stepson threw the ramps in the trash and bought me 20 ton jack stands and chuck blocks for Fathers' day and told me Mom wasn't ready to be a widow just yet.

 

I have had more injuries than I can remember. I have earned a living turning wrenches for forty years, some of my more memorable injurys are as follows:
#1. I was wailing on a pickle fork with a three pound sledge hammer. I missed the fork and nailed my left hand. It certainly grew to some very large proportions, as well as a color that I had never seen before. I didn't find out 'til a number years later that I had broken my hand. I found out when having an x-ray for another incident with that same hand.
#2. I was using a 12" adjustable wrench to hold some copper tubing that I was silver soldering. I set the wrench down then proceeded to lean over and support myself with my lower arm on the wrench. I wore a scar in the shape of the wrench for several years before it finally faded out. You could even see the adjustment screw in the scar.
#3. A couple of years ago, I set my left sock and ankle on fire when some hot slag parked itself in my shoe. Though I never have been much of a dancer, I laid down some pretty fancy foot steps to the sink, that day.

 

Okay.... first of all, OUCHIE!!! ...and second of all....

....Does your wife workout much???

Just kiddin'. I had to ask cuz when things like that happen, it completely amazes me....

 

A friend of a friend wanted help installing the hook arm on an old tow truck he was refurb-ing... well like a moron I used the (slightly greasy) handle from his 2 lb ball peen hammer to help spread the rails apart while other guys aligned the other steel member and inserted the pivot pin... at least that WAS the plan until the M-er F-in hammer handle slipped and the force I was applying sent it right into my MOUTH.

...the hammer end and my teeth conspired to separate my upper lip and earn me 5 stitches and a tooth that was even more jagged than before.

 

either the last time this topic came up or the time before that...
someone told the story about walking with a small test light... the kind with the sharp pointy end. His alligator clip was attatched to the handle by a springy coiled wire.

He was walking holding the alligator clip and he noticed a tug as something was pulling on the wire. He turned in time to see the business end of the test light come flying toward him and end up lodged in his eye.

Something to that effect.

 

She said the scream I let out kicked her adreneline into a whole new universe,she still doesn't know how she did it.(Tennessee Hillbilly gals come from Tuff stock)

 

How about straddling a frame when welding with a bad ground. Done that one.

 

I was sitting on a milk crate, using an eletric grinder. with a cutoff wheel. working on a part between my legs, when it sliped off the part, and ran up the inside of my thigh, cutting a long groove along the way,didnt bleed much,and if that wasnt bad enough, right after i sat back down,was working on the same part,it happen again, this time i cought it, but still got to a part of my knee......still have the nasty scars...

 

Earlier this summer I was working on the 36 "Fordillac" body's floors. The body was setting on stands on the utility trailer I'm using as a work table for it. I was trimming some little pieces of 20ga to make some filler panels for some corners, working on my knees underneath the body. Cutting thru a piece of the sheet metal, my hand dropped down onto the floor of the trailer, and impaled my right wrist on a small scrap. Cut the ulner (back side of the wrist) arterey and ulner nerve. It's still bothering me, and now I have to have surgery to repair the nerve. The good news is, they'll do a carpel tunnel release at the same time, so now my hand won't be "asleep" all the time!

Have had hot globs of welding slag burn thru a tennis shoe (lessen learned there, no tenny runners in the shop!) and burn the top of my little toe to a crisp. Molten metal in the ear is nice too, been there, done that, and once had one get down the front of my bib Carharts. THAT wasn't fun either!

Made a trip to the ER in the middle of the night for flash burns to my eyes from flopping the helmet down a little to late welding hundreds of holes from pulling a crease out of the side of my '59 'Bird. Lesson learned, automatic darkening visor.

Have had metal drilled out of my eyes from grinding (wearing safety glasses too) twice, and once cut the shit out of the side of my foot when I tripped carrying a running chain saw while cutting Christmas trees on our tree farm. I knew I'd cut my boot, and thought the wet sock was 'cause the boot was cut, walking thru wet grass. When I went in for lunch and took my boot off, I'd cut right thru my boot, the leather Redwing, and the side of my foot. Didn't hurt becase my feet were so damn The wet was my blood soaked sock. EEEWWW.

Ran a drill bit thru my left hand index finger, all the way thru the nail and out the other side, drilling thru a stainless bed rub rail in the floor of my '51 Pontiac. Had to back the drill out thru my finger. Lesson learned, drill stainless in the drill press.

Took a nail off sanding a piece of wood with my belt sander, while holding the small piece of wood on the (upside down) sander. The piece of wood was grabbed by the belt, and pulled it and my finger under the sanders housing. Duh. Lesson learned, don't try that again.

Building a '69 Firebird, years ago, I had it running, setting on all 4 wheels up on some stands I'd made from old disk blades and tubing. I was between the car, and the shop wall, on a stool leaning over the fender adjusting the timing ( see where this is headed?), and it vibated itself out of park, into reverse. It dropped down of the 16" tall stands, and of course, it swung to the right, and sort of rolled me between the fender and wall, before it idled out the shop door and bumped into my truck. Didn't hurt anything but me, both legs black and blue for a couple of weeks.

There's more, but I think I'll go lay down now...

 

Have a great scar on my forehad now from a few months ago- someone called my name and I stood up- right into the rotisserie- took half my damn forhead off.

Wiped if off, and went back to work. Damn it hurt

also got a piece of metal n my eye once and they picked it out with a scalpel. funny thing is Dana (my wife) ad he same shit hapen to her two weeks before me...When the doctor saw us it was like 'you again'?and when he found out it was me- just laughed and laughed.

 

Not a serious injury but kind of funny. Trying to remove a '36 Chevy from a salvage yard and needed to use the winch on my son's jeep. Didn't have the control switch for the winch so I took out my house keys and used one of them to jump across the posts. It is astounding how fast the key became nearly red-hot. You could read the word "Kwikset" on the end of my thumb for several weeks.