Got bit bad yesterday

DocGP · December 29, 2021, 02:39:05 PM

This is a PSA (personal stupidity announcement) I really didn't want to make, but it might help someone.

Was hooking the LT 35 to the trailer hitch when it slid off the ball. Well, in reflex I reached out to catch it (yeah, right) and that was a mistake. My left index finger went into the hole for the height adjust pins. Yup, bolt cutter. Took off my finger at first joint.

6 hrs in ER and got bandaged up and told to let it heal by second intention.

Freak deal. In no way WM fault. Just a moment of carelessness or freak accident, however you look at it.

Maybe someone can avoid something similar.

Doc

HemlockKing · December 29, 2021, 02:49:48 PM

Sorry to hear about your accident doc. We're they going to try to reattach at all?

DocGP · December 29, 2021, 03:31:13 PM

No, unfortunately just gone.

Going to have to relearn the guitar and the Uke now!!!

Doc

SawyerTed · December 29, 2021, 03:41:31 PM

So sorry to hear and hope you heal quickly! Maybe the stringed instruments can be mastered. Thank you for the warning. I won't look at those holes the same anymore.

HemlockKing · December 29, 2021, 04:25:27 PM

Anything can be mastered! I checked out this guys YouTube named “harmless farmer”, guy farms with NO ARMS, he does everything with his feet, I was watching a video of him change out a clutch in a tractor, amazing. He can pretty much do anything a normal person can do with their hands…

mike_belben · December 29, 2021, 04:53:25 PM

Wow man that sucks.. Real sorry to hear that.

WV Sawmiller · December 29, 2021, 05:07:54 PM

Doc,

Sorry to hear that. I hope you heal as fast and as completely as possible under the circumstances.

firefighter ontheside · December 29, 2021, 05:14:09 PM

Oh jeez! I'm sorry that happened. Sometimes fast reflexes are a bad thing. We do things before we have time to consider the consequences. I often drop things and try to catch them with my feet. I have saved many things from breaking that way, but one of these days I will drop something that will hurt my foot badly.

Old Greenhorn · December 29, 2021, 06:46:53 PM

Geez man, my stomach did a flip-flop when I read this. SO sorry. That is a freak break. Gonna be a while before you can fret those chords again, but you will get there. Ever hear of Django Reinhart? He did pretty good with a lot less.
Heal fast!

Dan_Shade · December 29, 2021, 07:14:50 PM

Yikes, sorry to hear this.

Best wishes in healing up.

thecfarm · December 29, 2021, 07:25:39 PM

Yes, heal up quick.
Just never know what can go wrong.

dgdrls · December 29, 2021, 07:27:15 PM

Oh man, so very sorry to hear of your accident,
Heal quickly!

D

JoshNZ · December 29, 2021, 07:41:08 PM

Shoot that is bad luck, hardly dumb. sorry to hear it! Best of luck with your healing and adapting

terrifictimbersllc · December 29, 2021, 08:43:20 PM

Sorry to hear, hope it gets better soon.

Nebraska · December 29, 2021, 10:00:42 PM

@DocGP oh crap not your palpating hand is it. I use my right, as I was taught to use the non dominant hand. I'm a southpaw. That just really stinks very sorry to read this hope you heal fast.

Crossroads · December 29, 2021, 11:01:51 PM

Sorry Doc, I hope you heal quickly.

barbender · December 29, 2021, 11:10:49 PM

Sorry to hear this, Doc. Especially as a guitar player.

Jeff · December 29, 2021, 11:25:36 PM

Oh man, I too absolutely cringed as you described it. Man, things you never think of.

caveman · December 29, 2021, 11:37:58 PM

Sorry, Doc. I hate that you lost your fingertip. That kind of accident happens so fast. I've had to look down at my fingers after some injuries to ensure they were still attached. I hope that you heal well and adapt to your shorter finger.

DocGP · December 30, 2021, 09:20:09 AM

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it!!

Yep, it was the palpation hand. Will put a temporary pause on that. Luckily my wife is covering my surgery for the time (vet also).

Like Calvin said about ole Hobbes one time, "He's got teeth on 5 out of 6 ends!!"

A sawmill is similar!!

Doc

Nebraska · December 30, 2021, 09:24:20 AM

Oh that stinks. Heal fast and Have a Happy New Year!

Percy · December 30, 2021, 10:23:08 AM

Man that is awful! Hope you heal well and quick.

Quote from: barbender on December 29, 2021, 11:10:49 PM
Sorry to hear this, Doc. Especially as a guitar player.

samandothers · December 30, 2021, 10:23:54 AM

OUCH! A cringe worthy story. Hope your recovery is fast.

trimguy · December 30, 2021, 01:37:04 PM

I cringed too, hope you heal fast.

Magicman · December 30, 2021, 07:41:10 PM

Oh Wow, I hated to read about this. I have heard folks say that what hurts the worst is what ain't there anymore.

You do know that you will not be able to point as far with that finger now. :

bushhog920 · December 30, 2021, 11:10:32 PM

Is this still a pics or it didn't happen post?

TimW · December 30, 2021, 11:41:18 PM

Ouch! So sorry to hear that. I have had that happen unhitching the mill from the front end loader. But it hit the quick attach plate and stopped. I use 4 chocks now.

Big question................Did your doctor say when you can start sawing again?
That always seems to hurt me the worst when I get in an accident or surgery.
HAPPY NEW YEAR hugs, Brandi

WV Sawmiller · December 31, 2021, 09:32:48 AM

I'm not sure how you got your finger in the pin hole, if I read that right. When I load my LT 35 I have the front and 2nd (loader side) jacks still up with the pins through. I try to lower them so they are a couple inches lower than the ball then I shift the hitch on to the ball then release and raise the landing gear and pin them in the up position.

I have several metal barn door handles I bought at a flea market and have been thinking about screwing one on to the top of the hitch bar and I think this is the incentive I needed to get around to doing it. I'm thinking that will make it much easier to lift the end of the mill and keep my fingers away from the ball and hitch as I have mashed them loading one time. I thought about adding a fold away jack on the front but never found them to roll very well on dirt anyway. At least they don't on my boat trailer.

Hopefully this was not you chopstick holding hand. I remember Paul Case caught a lot of flack about that when he lost a thumb.

samandothers · December 31, 2021, 10:32:01 AM

Quote from: Magicman on December 30, 2021, 07:41:10 PM
You do know that you will not be able to point as far with that finger now. :

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on December 31, 2021, 09:32:48 AM
Hopefully this was not you chopstick holding hand.

You can just feel the love!

Larry · December 31, 2021, 10:47:52 AM

I feel your pain! I got bit by a moulder 40 years ago and lost a 1/4" off my index finger plus chopped up the first joint. A steel screw held everything in place until it healed, but the joint was no longer moveable after they took the screw out (ouch).

On the good side, the finger constantly reminds me, even after 40 years, to think about what can happen.

welderskelter · December 31, 2021, 11:58:22 AM

I lost a middle one 40 years ago. 2 joints of middle finger. Mashed off. I dont play any instruments but There is hope for you. There is a Roy Thackerson on you tube that you should watch. Just think now you can be the life of the party when the grandkids are trying to pull it out of your nose. If you knew how many times that finger will be looked at by kids that will make you laugh. As they often say on this forum. Pics would help. Ha. Heck of a way to start off a new year or finish an old one.Good luck with healing. Thank the Lord it wasnt your head.

maple flats · December 31, 2021, 12:24:47 PM

Back when I was 7, my dad was building a toy garage with an elevator for me for Christmas. I guess, my mom went down cellar and called to him, while he was jointing a board, his little finger slipped and he lost all but 3/4" of it. After that, he used it to clean his ear on that side. Being his little finger he didn't have many issues except he found it necessary to shorten that finger on gloves. He just cut them to length and mom sewed it shut.

TimW · December 31, 2021, 01:19:32 PM

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on December 31, 2021, 09:32:48 AM
I'm not sure how you got your finger in the pin hole, if I read that right. When I load my LT 35 I have the front and 2nd (loader side) jacks still up with the pins through. I try to lower them so they are a couple inches lower than the ball then I shift the hitch on to the ball then release and raise the landing gear and pin them in the up position.

I have several metal barn door handles I bought at a flea market and have been thinking about screwing one on to the top of the hitch bar and I think this is the incentive I needed to get around to doing it. I'm thinking that will make it much easier to lift the end of the mill and keep my fingers away from the ball and hitch as I have mashed them loading one time. I thought about adding a fold away jack on the front but never found them to roll very well on dirt anyway. At least they don't on my boat trailer.

Hopefully this was not you chopstick holding hand. I remember Paul Case caught a lot of flack about that when he lost a thumb.

I misunderstood also Howard. I always leave the front jack pinned and the rear jack about 6 inches off the ground before I hook up. I only move it with the front end loader and a skid steer plate made into a round hay bale spear. I remove the spear and welded in a receiver tube with the ball on it, above the spear hole. That way, I only drive the tractor up and carefully lift the ball into the hitch.
I never take it on the road, so I never hitch up to the truck. Again, all I can think of is OUCH.
hugs, Brandi

SawyerTed · December 31, 2021, 05:30:12 PM

I dropped the tongue on the sawmill once without having either the tongue jack or the front jack near the log lift arm down. Thankfully, I had a FEL with forks nearby to lift it.

Now I do something similar to Howard and have at least one of those two jacks down in case I drop the tongue. Sometimes it just as easy to use the tongue jack to lower the coupler onto the ball. Sometimes the jack nearest the front log lift arm is better.

UncleMoustache · December 31, 2021, 06:18:43 PM

Dang. Sorry to hear that. Get well soon, and get used to it soon. It'll be an adjustment for sure.

Lost the hearing in my right ear suddenly 12 years ago. I'm pretty much used to it, but it took a bit to adjust and for my brain to re-train itself, but I will never be able to tell what direction sound is coming from.

DocGP · December 31, 2021, 06:41:05 PM

If you guys want to see pics, i don't mind posting. But i will wait a day or so and see if the moderators feel it would be inappropriate. One from this morning when i went back and found the missing digit, i cannot explain.

Doc

kantuckid · January 01, 2022, 08:19:45 AM

Late to say I hope yer healing up nicely. Back in the 50's when kids were building rockets and all sputnik crazy, a schoolmate of ours (around 8th grade), he'd built one and was setting up on a concrete curbing in Topeka, KS as his launch pad spot. He had a 6v battery and accidently set it off before he was ready. Some of his fingers ended up laying in that gutter! having been blown off by an explosion , no launch as it were.
I can live OK w/o seeing your moment of truth with your finger. :D
My grandpa sawed a diagonal across one hand on a table saw when I was a baby. I do well with not cutting mine off , well there's the one tip they re-attached some years back, and the one I mashed last fall, so I'm on a roll?
No pics required... ;)