So I had a senior moment yesterday and went through an interesting thought process. I am pleased my decision making after SHTF is still as good as when I was a kid.
To make a long story short, my left index finger was suddenly trapped between a very heavy piece of machinery and the rear arms of a tractor (think inside the hole where that locking pins would go) It was well and truly squashed with a hexagonal head bolt also wedging against my finger at an angle just to make things more interesting. So there I am, in the space of a second going from I hate hooking up this crap to I am so screwed. So here is my thought process.
1) Gee, I always thought something like this would hurt. Nope, finger is dead to the world.
2) Finger is dead to the world so maybe it is a dead loss. Well I guess I can live without that one; it isn't my thumb.
3) Its late afternoon and the temp. is supposed to drop to -10 over night and you are stuck here in the ultimate chinese finger trap
4) Check your pockets, yippee, I have my pocket knife and I sharpened it this morning
5) Planned on the best option for cutting off the finger to release myself and figured out what to use as a tourniquet; piece of bale string tied to the hydraulic hoses right
in front of me.
6) Hold that thought, I have my cell phone in my other pocket; so, who do I call that will actually answer the phone and isn't far far away?
7) Yippee, for some reason I have the local police in there because my phone doesn't have 911 service that actually works
8) Call them, its a small town and they might be bored and get here quick
9) They did but they couldn't get down my unplowed driveway (I was hooking up the snow blower to do that) When they got here they didn't want to do anything and I
had a tough time forcing them to get the hydraulic jack out of the garage and try to leverage the blower.
10) They couldn't get up the nerve so I had to let them call the fire department. The message got remixed from a stuck finger to someone caught in an auger so they
an ambulance and the ambulance called a helicopter. Fortunately the fire department guys had a 4x4 pickup and when they got on scene they canceled the helicopter
but the ambulance was already there because they happened to be in the neighborhood.
11) One of the volunteer fire department guys was a farmer, so he figured out where the pry bar needed to go to counter the lift of the jack and voila, I was free.
12) No, I am not going in the ambulance until I change my clothes. I just cleaned out the pig boxes and stink like SHTF. I didn't need the ambulance, but they were
waiting out at the road and wouldn't leave without me.
Moral of the story is, it is a pretty easy decision to cut off an offending appendage and for some reason, that decision was made before I even thought to check for a phone in my pocket. I think it was a holdover from my younger years when help was not available so it was not the first thought that entered my head. My decisions were first and foremost on how to get myself out of the spot I got myself into and than to look for alternatives once my brain registered that it was not immediate life or death just yet.
Bonus: came home to find my snow blower all hooked up and my driveway ploughed. Gotta love rural small town folk. No one will fess up.
So how's the finger?
Still attached and alive?
Its still attached; bone is intact but the meaty bits took a hit. They did get some stitches in on either side to plug up some holes. Mostly still alive, but I will likely lose some bits and pieces where the weight of the snow blower was resting. Its a wait and see about nerve damage. Not sure if the end joint will work properly, but than the first joint on the index finger doesn't do much of anything anyways. Could mess with my knitting if I ever decide to knit again. Personally, I think it will be good as new; just might not hurt as much if I smack it with a hammer in the future.
Yikes, glad it all worked out. Good thing you went to the hospital by the way. Crush injuries may seem benign but can lead to death!
LMAO, I started laughing when they couldn't get down your driveway, and I couldn't stop. *wiping tears* It was hilarious hearing how your situation snowballed. but seriously, glad you're ok! and you got to keep your finger!
So, the prepper lesson learned is to prevent the authorities from coming t confiscate your supplies during SHTF...
DON'T PLOW YOUR DRIVEWAY!
Never stop to think about how many senior moments we get away with everyday. It will scare you. Thankfully most are benign like putting the milk in the pantry cupboard. 🙂
A very wise man once told me one of the main rules of safety around machinery was " If you wouldn't put your dick in there, you sure as hell should keep your fingers out."
Glad it worked out ok for you.
Wow. I thought I had a bad day today.
First, I remembered that I hadn't yet removed the rain barrel from the side of my house for the season. Got hit by an early snow and cold snap here (Niagara). Luckily I had already drained it. How's this bad? I got snow all over me and my fingers were very cold - I lost my gloves that I normally use.
Then I went to get my cap for my truck from storage. I didn't think to ask for any help putting it back on the truck...as I didn't need any to take it off. I backed the truck up to the pile of dirt I had the cap rested on, got under it and lifted. Completely never thought that the 3-4 inches of slush like snow on the top weighed some. Put it back down and then cleared off the snow. Then, I got back under it and lifted and started to walk with it on my back to the tailgate of the truck...and then realized that it is a bit of a downslope and it's now covered in snow. Damn. I'm not risking breaking any bones for a truck cap.
After a bit, I managed to wrangle some help. Each of us took a side and lifted the cap up to the truck box...and the helper side window of the cap blew out. Damn. Broken window on my truck cap now.
I finally get home and start to make some dinner for the family. I like to have hot pepper flakes on my meal so I started to make some from the dried peppers - ones I grew this year 🙂 . After that I had to take a leak and went to do it...and never gave a thought for some reason to wash my hands (after handling the hot peppers). So then I start getting a slight tingle, then a burning sensation after my bio break. Crap!! I gotta take a shower, but I had to wait about 10 minutes till my kids got home, so they could get in the door (I don't leave the door unlocked when I'm in the shower - home invasion thing I guess). 10 minutes seems a long long time when your sensative parts are burning. Once the kids got home I got in the shower.
As bad as I thought my day went, you sir win. I can't imagine a worse day then getting stuck to a tractor.
Runs With Scissors
OddDuck, I would not call that a senior moment. Glad you are ok.
Runswithscissors, milk will take the heat out faster next time 🙂
Old School,
I called it a senior moment because as I get older, my attention wanders more and more. Its more of an effort to store anything in short term memory than it used to be. It is best not to take anything for granted. I am sure that in the years to come, being honest about this, and keeping focused on it, is in my own best interest. This accident should not have happened.
I am not in a position where where I can expect someone to notice I didn't show up for dinner and cannot afford to slip up in a big way.
In this case, I knew what awaited me if I ever slipped up doing some of the things I need to do, and for just a few moments I spaced out and didn't keep track of where my hand actually was. Karma took care of the rest. You can bet it was a much needed wake up call and I now check my pockets everytime I step outside to make sure the knife is there and sharp and that the phone can also be reached with either hand. I watch my step and try harder to keep my thoughts where they belong. On the job.
Old School,
I called it a senior moment because as I get older, my attention wanders more and more. Its more of an effort to store anything in short term memory than it used to be. It is best not to take anything for granted. I am sure that in the years to come, being honest about this, and keeping focused on it, is in my own best interest. This accident should not have happened.
I am not in a position where where I can expect someone to notice I didn't show up for dinner and cannot afford to slip up in a big way.In this case, I knew what awaited me if I ever slipped up doing some of the things I need to do, and for just a few moments I spaced out and didn't keep track of where my hand actually was. Karma took care of the rest. You can bet it was a much needed wake up call and I now check my pockets everytime I step outside to make sure the knife is there and sharp and that the phone can also be reached with either hand. I watch my step and try harder to keep my thoughts where they belong. On the job.
I just call those busy mind moments. I hear you thought, I think I have forgotten most of the stuff that I have learned over the years - time for me to start writing it all back down.
I always have made sure I have a knife & phone when I leave. I also like to keep a lighter & string in case I have to stop any bleeding. I will only buy jackets/coats with inside & outside pockets for that reason.