Well it finally happened

[DennisH]

Update on injuries. 7 broken ribs and a broken collar bone. His stay will be about a week in the hospital. Pain killers are his main diet. Told him I hope he has a pretty nurse but with his luck, I doubt it.

GREAT NEWS!

However, with 7 broken ribs, and a collarbone, he definetly needs the med's! Speaking from experience when I had 6 broken ribs.

 

[284winner]

GREAT NEWS!

However, with 7 broken ribs, and a collarbone, he definetly needs the med's! Speaking from experience when I had 6 broken ribs.

One thing I don't consider is at age 81, there are other things that attack a body when it's down and recovering. Pneumonia is one of them. After doing great and in physical therapy a relapse occured and pneumonia settled in one lung. That's the thing that can be more dangerous to an 80 year old than broken bones. Looks like his stay will be quite long at this point as he is back in ICU. Just a terrible thing all in all.

 

[DennisH]

One thing I don't consider is at age 81, there are other things that attack a body when it's down and recovering. Pneumonia is one of them. After doing great and in physical therapy a relapse occured and pneumonia settled in one lung. That's the thing that can be more dangerous to an 80 year old than broken bones. Looks like his stay will be quite long at this point as he is back in ICU. Just a terrible thing all in all.

This response applies to several others I read above.

After being in several accidents, I have "no" problem using or wearing safety devices.

Pneumonia is his worst enemy right now! Plus the healing process.

I broke 6 ribs 20 years ago. I have also broke a few more during my life.

What's worse as you grow older, you feel pain for the rest of your life from accidents that happened years ago. Just ask me about this! I don't want any broken bones, or damaged joints!

The weather changing stories are "very" true!

JMO, Dennis

 

[Immike]

One thing I don't consider is at age 81, there are other things that attack a body when it's down and recovering. Pneumonia is one of them. After doing great and in physical therapy a relapse occured and pneumonia settled in one lung. That's the thing that can be more dangerous to an 80 year old than broken bones. Looks like his stay will be quite long at this point as he is back in ICU. Just a terrible thing all in all.

Hopefully the doctor can pull him through this, keep us updated.
I’m definitely done with climbing trees after reading all this....

 

[284winner]

This response applies to several others I read above.

After being in several accidents, I have "no" problem using or wearing safety devices.

Pneumonia is his worst enemy right now! Plus the healing process.

I broke 6 ribs 20 years ago. I have also broke a few more during my life.

What's worse as you grow older, you feel pain for the rest of your life from accidents that happened years ago. Just ask me about this! I don't want any broken bones, or damaged joints!

The weather changing stories are "very" true!

JMO, Dennis

Suffering from broken ribs was a common occurrence when I was many years younger. Motocross accidents were an every week thing. Never broke 7 at one time but 2-3 was bad enough. Even in my 20s, broken ribs are no joke. Laughing, coughing and just breathing hurts. I healed but today many of my broken bones hurt again from weather changes. Mostly extremity breaks like foot and arm breaks seem to be the worse from weather changes. My friend Jimmy has a long road to recovery and I hope he recovers fully. He's been a hunting party member since 1992 and want it to continue. I know pneumonia isn't a joke at his age and could be fatal. Hoping and praying for his recovery. I'll follow up from time to time here on his progress.

 

[DennisH]

Suffering from broken ribs was a common occurrence when I was many years younger. Motocross accidents were an every week thing. Never broke 7 at one time but 2-3 was bad enough. Even in my 20s, broken ribs are no joke. Laughing, coughing and just breathing hurts. I healed but today many of my broken bones hurt again from weather changes. Mostly extremity breaks like foot and arm breaks seem to be the worse from weather changes. My friend Jimmy has a long road to recovery and I hope he recovers fully. He's been a hunting party member since 1992 and want it to continue. I know pneumonia isn't a joke at his age and could be fatal. Hoping and praying for his recovery. I'll follow up from time to time here on his progress.

284winner, I can fully relate to your story, 100%! Motocross/Enduros/Hare Scrambles is exactly how I broke 6 ribs, 1 punctured lung (collapsed), broken bones in my left foot, plus a few more. I even broke my "nose" bone!

And yes, weather changes affect "everything" these days!

And we all are praying for Jimmy, and I am sure he will pull through.

My past experiences, these days I don't hesitate to use any safety devices, especially the seat belts in my vehicles! I recommend everyone to use their seatbelts. I was a vehicle "Collision" Tech & Teacher! Nobody at any age can manage a vehicle crash with their own strength. To give an example, if an average 225 pound male, or a 130 females were to get in an accident at 30 mph, if they were able to hold on to the steering wheel, the steering wheel would fold inwards. This type of accident requires 5,000 lbs of force from your body to sustain. Nobody would be able to overcome this. Plus, it's been documented in this situation, if you tried to manage the collision force yourself, you would have broken bone in your arms, plus other areas of your body.

I am not taking anything away from Jimmy, just merely making a point as many people avoid using seatbelts, and find ways to disable all the alarms. I have videos from the insurance institute which I guarantee you after you watch a few, you wouldn't have any problem using Seat Belts. Always use them, it just might save you one day! Vehicle Collisions only lasts tenths of a seconds, can you think this fast off guard?

Get well Jimmy,

Thanks, Dennis

 

[MrMajestic]

1984 I was painting a PA turnpike overpass just north of the tunnel on the NE extension. Lots of no-no's were observed then in the name of production. Fellow on the end of the stage spanning two cables made a mistake and dropped his end while I was working in the middle. "We don't need no stinkin' safety harness and was told later they were behind the seat in the truck. I fell 37 feet onto the ground and my jaw struck my upside down steel 5 gallon paint can that beat me down. Helicopter ride to Lehigh Valley hospital that I don't remember as I was out for two days. Broken jaw, 13 teeth when they smashed together on impact, broken elbow, broken femur and five brain contusions. Yes I know that explains a lot my wife tells everyone. They used mineral spirits to clean me up and I awoke in traction with my sensitive areas on fire! They should have used vaseline! Two weeks in hospital and two years off work. Then one year later my FIL fell 30 feet and was killed, my wife was a little nervous about heights for a while. I was a lot tougher then at 25 and my doctors did a great job. I still do stupid stuff like sit in 25 ft. ladder stands without a harness however my son does use one so at least I raised HIM right. I hope the old fellow mends well and can back to hunting.

 

[284winner]

1984 I was painting a PA turnpike overpass just north of the tunnel on the NE extension. Lots of no-no's were observed then in the name of production. Fellow on the end of the stage spanning two cables made a mistake and dropped his end while I was working in the middle. "We don't need no stinkin' safety harness and was told later they were behind the seat in the truck. I fell 37 feet onto the ground and my jaw struck my upside down steel 5 gallon paint can that beat me down. Helicopter ride to Lehigh Valley hospital that I don't remember as I was out for two days. Broken jaw, 13 teeth when they smashed together on impact, broken elbow, broken femur and five brain contusions. Yes I know that explains a lot my wife tells everyone. They used mineral spirits to clean me up and I awoke in traction with my sensitive areas on fire! They should have used vaseline! Two weeks in hospital and two years off work. Then one year later my FIL fell 30 feet and was killed, my wife was a little nervous about heights for a while. I was a lot tougher then at 25 and my doctors did a great job. I still do stupid stuff like sit in 25 ft. ladder stands without a harness however my son does use one so at least I raised HIM right. I hope the old fellow mends well and can back to hunting.

Do yourself AND your family a favor and start wearing a lifeline/harness, vest system. Today, that 25' fall will end your hunting.

 

[rebel]

At 25 I was a 190 lb man that could get my heel to the top of a door frame with a spinning back kick. At almost 54, I do good to lift my foot 18" of the ground.
One of the last Christmas presents my Mom gave me before we lost her was a safety harness with which I had to promise to use it. I do, even in ladder stands.
I prefer box stands these days.
Wearing the t-shirt - " To fat to run, to old to take an ass whippin' " is a humorous admission of my diminished physical ability. It doesn't mean I'm not tough, just honest.

 

[DarkStar]

I used to never use a harness when using a climber treestand. I would always use a ratchet to secure the top section to the tree after I got it up to the height I wanted.

When I got life insurance, I had to wait one year for it to kick in (FEGLI). That year, I thought long and hard about what would happen if I fell, deaded myself and what the family would do since I didn't have long between the start of hunting season and when the insurance would kick in. I've used a harness ever since and wondered why I hadn't been doing it before.

 

[Larryh128]

I’ve studied myself climbing and have always concentrated on moving only one limb (leg or arm) at a time. When climbing with 2 at a time we leave ourselves vulnerable to a fall. Try this... may save your life!

+1 on this.

 

[JRS]

I used to never use a harness when using a climber treestand. I would always use a ratchet to secure the top section to the tree after I got it up to the height I wanted.

When I got life insurance, I had to wait one year for it to kick in (FEGLI). That year, I thought long and hard about what would happen if I fell, deaded myself and what the family would do since I didn't have long between the start of hunting season and when the insurance would kick in. I've used a harness ever since and wondered why I hadn't been doing it before.

We were too macho and dumb to use safety gear. Having worked as an ironworker for a few decades I had my share of broken bones and stitches due to not tying off.

Edit: Before full body harnesses and lanyards were mandatory, we never wore them, whether 1 story high or 60 stories high.

 

[Immike]

I’ve been dealing with snow and iced ladder steps lately. The potential is there even with a safe setup... one slip and loss of one hold will put a guy in trouble. A controlled climb has to be learned, hunted without harnessing and up 30-40’ high for a long time. The setting stands seem to be the worse part of this... that’s summer work.

 

[jimmymac]

Yeah. Always three points of contact when ascending or descending. Takes a bit to get used to, but it works.

 

[Mark W]

Yeah. Always three points of contact when ascending or descending. Takes a bit to get used to, but it works.

I had to climb a vertical caged ladder onto the roof of a four story building earlier this week. I definitely maintained three points of contact the whole way up and down. At 52 it takes me a lot longer than it did 25 or 30 years ago.

 

[jimmymac]

I had to climb a vertical caged ladder onto the roof of a four story building earlier this week. I definitely maintained three points of contact the whole way up and down. At 52 it takes me a lot longer than it did 25 or 30 years ago.

I know how you feel. I frequently find myself in chemical plants, refineries or gas processing plants so I have climbed a lot of ladders, caged or otherwise in all sorts of weather. I'm 55. I learned a long time ago to take it slow and never...ever have two points of contact. Not worth it. It only takes one slip.

 

[pmg]

Ever check some of those welds on those steps? A lil dab will do ya is their moto I guess. I reckon they don’t let them put much on over there. I also drill a hole on the bottom to let any water out that might be in there as most steps don’t have caps. Also spray with a little grey or olive primer to try to Camo from thieves. I’m using a Rescue One cds harness with 30feet of rope in the back with a hand brake.

 

[284winner]

I've had to reweld many ladder sticks because of this. Today they are all very strong and welds are solid with no open spots. I cannot weld aluminum so I have 2 aluminum ladders that have the same issue. Luckily they are sectional sticks that do not bare weight the same as a one piece stick does.

 

[ImBIllT]

Good thing you had a quad and cell service. A lot places I hunt, no one would know till evening cause your phone ain’t gonna work, and then he’d just about have to be quartered up to get him out. Sure at 81 he probably wouldn’t be in that spot, but you don’t have to be 81 to fall out of a stand without a harness.

 

[Immike]

Good thing you had a quad and cell service. A lot places I hunt, no one would know till evening cause your phone ain’t gonna work, and then he’d just about have to be quartered up to get him out. Sure at 81 he probably wouldn’t be in that spot, but you don’t have to be 81 to fall out of a stand without a harness.

I hunt alone mostly and would be in big trouble if something happened to me. Some have service and some stands not on the ground, which is where I’d be....I’ve always considered that risk and accept it as part of hunting alone. A lot of ice and snow on the ladders this year and have been using the corners to climb up and down.