Here was a combination of gusty left crosswind and whipping the bike in the same direction too far (duh!). Completely landed the bike in the totally flat area to the left of the landing zone. Forks first and going over the handlebars. Smashed the helmet’s chin guard, breaking it into my face, shattering my nose, and cutting me just above my eye (good for 20 stitches). Also 2 broken ribs and a concussion. The second pic is much happier times.
Herb
Most of my injuries are from other activities than surfing. I blew out my left knee wakeboarding, tearing my ACL, MCL, and meniscus. Also wakeboarding, while working on a new trick I landed a jump with my left arm behind me while holding on to the handle(on purpose…haha…it sounds dumb when I explain it) Needless to say, I slipped out, falling over to my back, and my arm was pushed up over my head causing a pretty gruesome dislocation. My shoulder ended up somehow near my neck, and I was in such pain that my father ended up jumping in the water and popping it back in. It was a pop and twist job, but he did pretty well! I have been lucky in surfing so far, only getting a nice gash from getting slammed into a rock across from PAFB once. Oh yeah, and I got ran over at CBP one time by a tourist on a 10’0 RonJons, he paddled around behind me like he was going to move over in the lineup, got even with me, and tried to drop in. His log shot out and pretty much tackled me. I was sitting on my board and tried to bail but took it in the stomach. Nice guy though, he apologized and offered to buy me lunch!!
My first trip to A&E (ER) was at nine months old, I averaged twice a year for the next thirty years but I’ve cut that down to one now. Too many to list but the scariest by far was surfing, I’d floated one breakwater and thought I could make the next as well but the wave turned into real horrid shore dump, I messed up and went over the falls backwards (forehand wave) landing on 12" square post in the small of my back. Hurt like hell and winded me. I paddled back out and cought another wave straightaway, nothing happened from the my chest down, chest up fine, but legs and waist down literally nothing. I kinda got back in and had to pull myself up the beach using just my arms, really scared. Nothing from my chest down worked. To cut a long story short I hadn’t broken anything just bruised and kinked my spinal cord which eventually sorted itself out, but for a while I was shitting myself.
Other than that athritis, we used to surf seven hours in 7 degree water till we started to go hypothermic, so kids reading this once you get cold get out and warm up it just isn’t worth it.
Cringe, shudder… it’s always the simple, dumb stuff that bites ya, isn’t it. Slips with a utility knife when you really oughtta change the blade but ya don’t cos it’s just one more cut, that last swing of the hammer, stretching just a little too far with that grinder…
I notice that the drill is one of the quick-change varieties, what Fuller calls the Insty-Bit system. And I use a fair number of their taper drills… have you found that the hex shank quick change bits break a little easier than the round shank?
doc…
here’s what a 5 1/2" deep , 6" base 1970s twin fin can do to your groin [actually , that’s my groin…
…enjoy !! (I know I DIDN’T !!)
ben
Gee, thanks again, Ben. That red stuff hanging out matches your skivies quite nicely. Or, are those your board shorts? Mike
I had one of those situations on Tuesday using a plastic laminate slitter, a manual tool for cutting narrow strips of Formica for a kitchen counter top that I was fabricating. On the last rip, the tool jams as I continue to load it up with a lot of force. The next thing I’m doing is looking down at a cut to the bone on the knuckle of my hand from razor sharp plastic shards that broke from my laps of attention. 4 stitches, and a 1hour later back on the job.
Fun ain’t cheap.
I was waiting for somone else to post a gruesome picture before i did mine. I severed my left middle finger 7/8 of the way through working on an oil rig. I went into shock instantly so i didnt fell much until after the 1hr drive to the hospital and another 2 hour wait in the waiting room because there had been a car accident. they sewed it back together. That one kept me outa the water for three weeks until i cut the middle finger out of an old glove to keep the rest of my hand warm while surfing. the fingers good now a little longer, a bit crooked, and prety numb. i’m just happy i didnt loose all of them.
Ouch, sorry to hear about the knuckle. I did one in with a very sharp X-acto blade once.
“Laps of attention” is a good double-entendre for Swaylocks – I’ve done a few of those while glassing on a too-hot day…
Just what i needed to see first thing in the morning CHip, a close up picture of your groin with you in a bannana hammock!Bahahahahaha
seriously though that looked like it sucked probubly chaffing for monthes! Don’t forget the gold bond!
I liked your Arnie breast quote better Skels…didn’t have to think with that one…
took a hard hit to the back of my knee this morning…my own fault…ouch…i sure hope i can make it back for an afternoon session.
Remember back in the 70’s when we made our leashes out of shock cord that we bought at the boat yard? Well I was surfing just North of Solimar beach in Ventura at a place called “Tanks” during a nice summer swell. I took off on this wave and hacked my bottom turn and when I popped up my surfboard, that that had pulled my leash to the max, came shooting back at me like some kind of torpedo. One of the boards swallow tails drilled me right above my right eye and the fin sliced my chin open. The thing I remember most about the accident was when I got to shore and was walking to my car with blood dripping all over me this guy walks up to me and says " hey man do have any rolling papers?" Had to be the 70’s!
Chip,
Promise me you will never, ever do this again.
…the injury , or the photo ??
The photo, naturally. I bet you’ve been waiting months to get that picture posted.
All kidding aside, glad nothing vital was damaged.
" Responds to nickname “Lucky”.
How 'bout the beaver?
Unlucky Beaver
•You’ve carefully thought out all the angles.
•You’ve done it a thousand times.
•It comes naturally to you.
•You know what you’re doing, its what you’ve been trained to do your whole life.
•Nothing could possibly go wrong, right ?
THINK AGAIN!
