Stupid Griz Tricks

I've had quite a few experiences in my years since Dec 1944 which "could have" or "should have" ended my life. Most of them were caused by my stupid actions, or at least would not have happened if I had not done something stupid. The intent of this page is to relate some of those experiences in the hopes that others will learn from my mistakes.

Trencher - 21 Dec 2012 ~ by Griz (aka Steve Stovner) ~
Friday 21 Dec. 2012 (my 68th birthday) I went to pick up the Case 25+4 trencher I bought at auction. It was very cold (mid 30's F) and I ended up putting on my big work coat over my light go-to-town coat as we worked to get it started. We ran the battery down (and a portable jump battery) before discovering that it was out of fuel. I drove it over to my rented equipment trailer and lined it up for loading. I decided to leave it running (dead battery) while preparing the trailer load ramps and tie-down chains. The parking brake was set. I idled it down, checked the ammeter to verify it was still charging and jumped off.

See those levers above the near side rear fender? Those are the drive levers, push forward and the machine moves forward, pull back for reverse, Push-Out/Pull-In to turn left/right. The short one is creep speed and the long one is fast (maybe 5 mph max).

As I jumped down, the long lever (probably both) slipped up under the back of my big work coat (which was securely fastened in front). My feet barely touched the ground in front of the rear tires as my full body weight yanked the drive levers forward. The machine lurched forward and I felt the treads of the wheel grab my right ankle; the pain was instant and severe. I tried to pull my right foot free by planting my left, but could not get a good purchase while hanging from the drive levers. As it climbed up my rolled over right ankle it grabbed by left foot. I don't think I was "screaming" but I was sure verbalizing my agony and "hollering" for help. Then it was climbing my right calf, pushing me down to the ground (but the levers were holding me up). I threw my weight forward, freeing me from the levers and landed on my hands and knees. I expected it to stop when the levers were released but the return spring was weak and lever/cable system was sticky. It continued to crawl forward (slower, but still coming). Up both calves it came. My knees have now added their voices to the screaming pain.

It's chewing at the back of my right thigh. I know there are lots of people within earshot and I know they can hear my cries, but I also know this will be over before anyone can get to me. I'm trying like hell to get my body twisted to the left so it will miss my chest and head, but it looks like it will run over my right hip (while in a very awkward position). Then the engine died, stalled out trying to climb my right thigh. The pain is out of this world but I see a kid running toward me from the open shop door.

I yelled at him to get up on it, start it up and back it off me. As he climbed up I definitely felt his added weight. The kid did absolutely great, he fumbled a bit but luckily it starts right up and he backed it off me.

I'm on my hands and knees and the way I'm bundled up in 2 coats it's hard for me to see much of my legs. Moving them causes stabs of more pain but they seem to be functioning. One at a time I tentatively pull my legs up under me and slowly put weight on them until I'm up on both legs with my hands still on the ground giving me balance and taking some of the weight as I experiment with various joints and muscles. I found 6 areas of major pain. Left outside calf muscle, Left inside knee, Right outside knee, Right inside calf muscle, Right outside ankle, outside bridge of Right foot.

The kid had asked me if I was ok then disappeared. Now several concerned adults arrived (yard manager included). They were talking about an ambulance but I waved that off as I continued to check myself out. I accepted an offer to sit for a while and slowly walked the 25 yards to a warm indoor chair where I could continue to access the damage. The right ankle and foot hurt the worst so I took off my shoe and sock but found no indication of internal bleeding or broken bones. 10 minutes later the pain was down to a level that I could handle if I was careful about how I put weight on my ankle and knees.

In no way do I blame anyone but myself for this accident. The folks at the auction yard were great; they responded quickly and appropriately (especially the kid). BTW the kid was a couple of hours into his very first day on the job. I think I made his first day quite memorable.

I went outside, loaded the trencher on the flattop trailer (forgot to take the emergency brake off and still it crawled easily up the 30+ degree loading ramps). After chaining it to the trailer I thanked everyone and drove the 70 miles home. Driving was not bad at all, the right ankle would bark at me when I moved from gas pedal to brake but otherwise I only felt a dull ache in both legs. I marveled at how lucky I was. Getting out of the truck caused a whole new round of increased pain as I worked out the kinks caused by sitting in a fixed position for so long. At home I unloaded the trencher, put it in the shop and returned the trailer to the rental outfit before relaxing in my easy chair with both legs up.

An hour or so later I got up to get some dinner and went through another round of "working out the stiffness" that had set in. I walked gingerly with a two legged limp. Both calves were a bit swollen and sore to the touch but otherwise were not a hindrance. The left knee hurt when I lifted my leg, the right ankle hurt as I put weight on it and the right foot hurt if I rolled it forward, so I had to set it down flat and pick it up without rocking forward on it or moving the ankle. Throughout the evening it got noticeably better.

However, in the morning it took a lot of slow massage and flexing before I could walk with a reasonable pain level. In addition, my right hip was now also hurting when I walked. It was decision time. I was scheduled to drive 100 miles to Renee's house (my daughter) to visit Ouasha (2 year 13 day old great-grand-daughter) and her mother Allie (grand-daughter #3), who I had not seen in 6 months. The other option was to cancel the trip and go get some x-rays to verify I didn't break any thing. After an hour on my feet I decided to go visit the family.

I picked up Leah (grand-daughter #1) on the way south though Seattle. Soon after arriving in Spanaway, the big girls went to the store and Ouasha pulled me into the bedroom to show me her favorite toys. I was surprised at how well I understood her speech. I sat on a very small chair, she showed me how to play the electric maracas, and then danced for me as I shook out a beat. We "read" a few short books. I was in 7th heaven; she is very smart, well-behaved and cute as can be. Good job Allie !

Kayla (grand-daughter #2) arrived during dinner but I fell asleep immediately after dinner and she had to wake me up to say goodbye several hours later, so I missed her visit completely. At 4:30 in the morning, after hours of karaoke (everyone but me) and a card game, Renee massaged my legs as I relaxed with my feet up. I was prepared to read myself asleep but got about one sentence into my book before zonking out. Everyone (including me) expected the next day (48 hours after the incident) to be the worst (swelling and pain wise) before seeing any major improvement. But when I woke at 9am everything felt the best it had since it happened (Renee has magic fingers). Leah and I headed North about 1pm and I was home in my easy chair by 3pm.

Today, Monday the 24th, I'm still walking gingerly but definitely on the mend. I continue to marvel at how lucky I was. The machine weighs 3,000 pounds so I had about 750 pounds pressing me against the concrete as it drove over my feet, ankles and legs. It was stupid of me to jump off the machine instead of stepping down under control. It was stupid of me to exit near the controls. It was stupid of me to leave the operators seat while it was running. It was unlucky that the levers caught on my coat. But it was very lucky that the engine died when it did, otherwise I'm not sure my hip would have survived without some real damage. I assume that the weight being distributed over both legs by the dual tires saved me from broken ankle and leg bones.

I've been operating machinery and power tools all my life and have seen and/or been involved in many very serious accidents (some fatal). Almost every one of those "accidents" would have been prevented by following a single, simple, safety rule - turn it off and dissipate any potential or kinetic energy before you do anything other than "designed" operations from the "designed" operating position. I paid a small price this time for violating that rule. Many have died for doing something similar (even though - like me - they have done it a thousand times before with no ill effects).