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Message |
    
Tech291
Moderator
Username: Tech291
Post Number: 326
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 12:12 am: | 
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seen this posted before but still laugh every time i read it.
THE TOWER
Dear Ms. Jones
Patsy Insurance Co.
Wata'ohoh, HI 96999-0101
I am writing in response to your request for additional information for Block 3 of the Accident Report Form (ARF) I submitted to you on April 1, 1997. I put "poor planning" as the cause for the accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully. I trust the following detail will be sufficient.
I am an Amateur Radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80 foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using a pulley, which was fortunately attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower.
Securing the rope at ground level, I went back to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow decent of the 300 pounds of tools.
You will note in Block 11 of the Accident Report Form that I weigh only 155 pounds. Due to my suprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope.
Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time I had regained my presence of mind and in spite of my pain, I was able to hold on to the rope. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight, shown in Block 11 of my submission.
As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40 foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body.
The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only 3 vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind and let go of the rope . . . . .
Sincerely,
Andy Clark, WA4PRF
TIARA (Tokyo International Radio Association)
tech291
CEF#291
KC8ZPJ
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Davec
Junior Member
Username: Davec
Post Number: 29
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 6:43 am: |
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sounds like a roadrunner cartoon |
Moderator1516
Moderator
Username: Moderator1516
Post Number: 112
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 9:11 am: |
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that guy couldn,t win for losing
moderator1516
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Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 1065
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 1:26 pm: |
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LOL, that's a good one!
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Starface
Intermediate Member
Username: Starface
Post Number: 372
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 1:41 pm: |
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poor guy
Till next time
Starface CEF#476
Southeast Net Control
Auburndale,FL |
Moonraker
Intermediate Member
Username: Moonraker
Post Number: 118
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 2:28 pm: |
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Did anyone see the episode of myth busters on the discovery channel where the construction worker basically did the same thing, only it was a barrel of bricks?  |
Patzerozero
Senior Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 2071
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 3:07 pm: |
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tears are dripping all over my keyboard, i'm laughing so hard! |
Hollowpoint445
Advanced Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 961
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 5:34 pm: |
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Wow! That's real? I never saw it with the person's callsign. I always thought it was a joke. |
Truckerdon
Member
Username: Truckerdon
Post Number: 60
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 22, 2005 - 7:09 pm: |
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I felt sorry for the brick layer when the barrel hit him in the head on his way up. Then to fall back down and let go of the rope and have barrel hit him on the ground..
Don
CEF 336 |
Wolverine
Advanced Member
Username: Wolverine
Post Number: 579
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 23, 2005 - 4:32 am: |
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Now that's what I call a real Tech. LOL |
Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 3338
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Friday, December 23, 2005 - 7:15 am: |
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Where is a good lawyer ............ HA HA HA !!!!! |
Brewdirect
Intermediate Member
Username: Brewdirect
Post Number: 179
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 6:55 pm: |
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Funny stuff...lot of variations floating around on this one. I like this one the best - cause it hits close to home  |
Kid_vicious
Advanced Member
Username: Kid_vicious
Post Number: 959
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 10:16 pm: |
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i dont want to hijack the thread, but something similar to this happened to me when i was about eight or nine. this story is true.
i had a fixation with parachutes and jumping from high places when i was young much to my mothers chagrin. i was on a first name basis with the nurses at the ER.
i jumped off the scaffolding my dad was using to paint the house and broke my ankle.
anyway, i had been fashioning a home made parachute out of a backpack, some string, and a big garbage bag. (previous experiments has led me to the conclusion that bed sheets will not hold air)
by this time, i was pretty good at rolling when i landed and the two story garage was my favorite place to jump from. it had nice long grass to land in.
on the first attempt at testing my new parachute, i was happily surprised that the pull cord actually worked and the bag opened. the garbage bag however, didnt come out. i managed to land pretty softly, and i decided that the problem was that i wasnt going fast enough to get the garbage bag to catch air. then that same lightbulb went on in my head that has since led to many, many stitches. my brilliant idea was to gain momentum by riding my bike down the pitch of the roof, and when i pulled the cord, the bike would just drop away. it seemed so logical!
i tied one end of a long hemp rope to my bike, and the other end to my belt, and climbed up on the garage roof. once at the peak, i pulled the bike up with the rope, and put on my backpack/parachute. i got the bike into position, readied the parachute cord, counted to three and peddaled my stupid butt as fast as i could.
well i had forgotten one small detail.
i had forgotten to untie the rope from the bike, and yes, also from my belt.
right at the same moment my front tire was going over the rain gutter; the bike stopped cold!
i did not. my inertia propelled me right over the handle bars and over the edge of the roof.
my decent was also cut short as i stopped abruptly about half way down and was now hanging by my belt from the rope.
apparently while positioning my bike on the roof, i had wrapped the rope around a vent pipe, and the bike was now wedged up into the rain gutter holding the rope tight around the vent pipe and suspending little ol' me about eight feet above the ground.
this is the part of the story where my mom comes outside to tell me that lunch is ready and nearly has a heart attack.
her eyes went from me, to the roof and back to me about three times before she could speak.
she held my feet and i undid my belt and fell on her.
my mother is a wonderful woman and if she's a little bit neurotic these days, i know right where to put the blame.
hope you enjoyed this, its all true.
ask my mom,
matt |
Starface
Intermediate Member
Username: Starface
Post Number: 397
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 11:51 pm: |
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Laughing so hard with big tears in my eyes...
I pictured the sence the whole time reading this Kid_vicious
Thanks for the laugh
Till next time
Starface
CEF476
KI4NBE
Southeast Net Control
Auburndale,FL |
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