Learn From My Household Accident

[OldLincoln]

I have a 6' aluminum ladder that is at least 30 years old. For probably half of those I thought about replacing it as a slight weight shift would unlatch one side. Problem is I hardly use it anymore so I thought the cost/benefit was upside down. Guess I didn't factor in the cost of pain and medical.

Short version is the ladder went out from under me when I was 4' up and I smacked the concrete hard doing something awful to my back. Got my first ride in an ambulance and spent over 10 hours in ER.

Lots of pain and quite ticked off at myself for not replacing that ladder many years ago. Of course, now that I've had a bad fall and probably restricted from ladders, I'll replace it with a sturdy one.

So, learn from me, you'll replace the rickety ladder for sure after you fall, so why not prevent the fall and replace it now? Even if you are a tough guy, it's not healthy smacking you head and messing up your back - but worse of all you don't want to wait 10 hours in pain sitting is a room with 60 other people coughing in your face.

[Longitude Zero]

Iam glad you are on the mend. A neighbor of mine fell off a ladder from the fifth or sixth step. He got his ankle caught up in the ladder as he fell. Sadly he is crippled and can barely walk with a walker now.

I was always told that if you were falling from a ladder your best bet was to push away and avoid getting caught up in it as you fell.

Best of luck to you.

[TheTman]

Wishing you a speedy recovery OldLincoln!

[Bawanna]

I absolutely hate aluminum ladders. Even a good one is none too good. I'll take wood or fiberglass any day. Course I'm no authority on ladders anymore either but my memory of them is still strong. Never liked them, scared of heights.:eek: Bawanna scared. Well leery of heights. Walking walls setting roof truss's my toes would actually stick out of my shoes to grip better.

Hope they get you fixed up and out of pain quick the Old Lincoln. Around here if you get to the hospital in a ambulance you go to the head of the line. I can't imagine them putting you in the waiting room.

Only rode in an ambulance once when I broke my back and I didn't see the house again for 6 weeks, was darn nice to get home, I'll tell ya that.
Silly part was I didn't hurt unless the docs poked me. Weird.

Keep us posted on how your doing, your my go to picture poster so we gotta get you off the injured reserve list quick.

[JohnR]

That's a good wake-up call. My uncle broke his hip from a ladder fall, so I've always been super careful with them. However, we have an old, slightly bent, light aluminum step ladder that, if you shift your weight, it will "walk" on its own. I should throw it away.

I was using it a couple weeks ago to get some lumber down from the garage attic, which is just bare ceiling joists. One item was a door. It was heavy and awkward to move. I got it part way down, tilting at an angle, then realized that if I let go at that point it was likely to swing down and knock the ladder out from under me, and it was impossible to pull it back up. My wife was too far away to have heard me call out for assistance, and I had to think of a solution before my arms gave out. I ended up inching it down a little more and then shoving it away from the ladder so it would fall away from me. Didn't quite happen that way; it dropped straight down, being too short a fall to swing either way, so it just went "wham" onto the floor and everything was fine. I dodged that bullet.

[Bill K]

Thanks for your post. I wish you a full and speedy recovery.

For sure I've got one and possibly two (need to inspect) ladders that I should not be using. I say to myself "I'm not cheap, I'm frugal." but when it comes to safety I need to be less thrifty. Could save me in the long run and not just monetarily.

Thanks,
Bill K.

[OldLincoln]

John, thanks for reminding me! I have a 3 step aluminum stepstool that's so worn the top swivels to & fro. Wife has been after me to replace that for a few years also. Guess I'll look for a twofer sale. After yesterday I'm not climbing anything that wiggles - no more!

As for kicking away from the ladder when it falls, I've done that a few times. This time was like a pro linebacker took out the ladder from the left side. By the time I knew I was in trouble my feet were at least 2' West of my head. I would like to say I did something to lessen the hurt but I don't remember. I do know for the last several years my reflexes have gotten slower. That's part of why I'm going to my new shooting stance.

[JohnR]

Shame on us! I'm "frugal" too with ladders, but compare the cost of a new ladder to a trip to the ER. And here we are with one of the most expensive pistols you can buy!

[MW surveyor]

Get well soon OldLincoln.

[Kingcreek]

damn gravity.
best wishes.

[getsome]

Hope you are doing better OldLincoln...It seems several of us has had a go with an aluminum ladder...I had a 6 foot step ladder that I tended to grab because it was so light even though I have several contractor grade fiberglass ladders...One day I saw the garage door opener light had burned out and decided to replace the bulb...Slid the aluminum ladder in place and climbed up to the 5th step or so and it happened, that piece of crap twisted around and down I went but I didn't land on the concrete but on the ladder itself...I sat there dazed and didn't feel any pain at first then I felt something wet on my leg and then the PAIN decided to tell me something bad had happened...Sure enough I sliced open my knee which took 15 stitches to close but the worst part was the deep knee bruise that swelled up the size of a softball....I still have trouble with that knee to this day...Needless to say that ladder went in the garbage as soon as I could walk again...In another ladder nightmare story, Many years ago my landlord came to my 2 story duplex to clean the gutters and the cheap aluminum extention ladders top portion didn't stay hooked in place and slid down with him on it and he lost 2 fingers on his left hand and his right thumb all taken off like a knife...:eek:...I think aluminum ladders should be banned from the planet...

[OldLincoln]

Perhaps some good education would at least help. My son just directed me to replace my step stool with a Werner Stepright 3 step. He says it actually locks open and you have to release it to close. He also said to get a fiberglass ladder and I just discovered Home Depot has a Werner Model NXT1A06 300lb capacity 6' ladder for $70.

I suppose I'll be getting those in a few days. After I heal I still have to re-arrange the garage "stuff". Speaking of healing, I now believe my back pain is a bruised kidney. I hear we have 2 of those so one might think it would only hurt half as bad, but it does smart some. Probably not like eating 60 yards of pavement with a Harley on top of you, but smarts just the same. It's pretty bad when I confiscate my wife's walker. Maybe I can hang a Harley badge on it!

[Bawanna]

Werner makes a fine ladder they really do. The best thing to do though is leave it hanging on the ladder hook and keep both feet on the ground.

[getsome]

Thats the spirit OldLincoln....Hang a couple of straight pipes on there and get your motor running, head on the highway....:cool:

[OldLincoln]

Bawanna you aren't far off. A couple years ago I was banned from the roof. Last year I was banned from pruning our tree tops off of an 18' aluminum ladder. When my daughter (in-law) heard about my fall she texted banning me from all ladders. Maybe she will send my son over to do my chores!

[jocko]

old lincoln. I have never eaten 60 yards of pavement but over the years, If I would have added it all up, more than likely I have eaten 60 yards. My first good wreck was off the rights side front end of a ford pickup. It only threw me 30 feet, the bike ate alot of pavement but I just rolled to the curb and stopped. Luckily for me I was about 600yards from a local hospital. 13 screws in the left leg and a 6" steel plate and hell I was perfect in 6 monts. Winters kinda let me know the plate is there but other than that u would never know it. no limp or nothing. My last good good wrcek I call my milkshake wreck, I couldnt get away from the bike and it just threw me to the pavement and landed on top of me. That was a bloody mess but nothing broken, except it was my wifes bike, so she now has a new one. U know that saying: 'there are two kinds of bikes, one who has went down and one who is going down"

Still for me,,, THERE AIN'T NUTTIN LIKE IT.

[OldLincoln]

I liked riding bilke when I was a kid, ridding my friends Triumph. Now I'm attracted to the TV adds for the full sized quad motorcycles at GG Quad (http://www.gg-quad-northamerica.com/).

http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx269/OldLincoln/Misc/GGQuad-yellowandblue.jpg

[jocko]

***** bike!! I am still a kid, I never grew up!!!

[Bawanna]

Bawanna you aren't far off. A couple years ago I was banned from the roof. Last year I was banned from pruning our tree tops off of an 18' aluminum ladder. When my daughter (in-law) heard about my fall she texted banning me from all ladders. Maybe she will send my son over to do my chores!

I've found the best way to prune trees is about 4" above the ground, actually maybe 2' would be better, wouldn't have to bend over so far.
Leaves nothing for bad guys to hide behind, doesn't interfere with the lawn mower and dang it I want one of those full size quads.

[Jeremiah/Az]

I saw a neat bike on the road today that was a 3 wheeler. It had 2 wheels in front & was honkin'. I couldn't tell what it was.

[OldLincoln]

I see a lot of those around town, again with gray haired men piloting them.

[Bawanna]

I saw a neat bike on the road today that was a 3 wheeler. It had 2 wheels in front & was honkin'. I couldn't tell what it was.

Probably a CanAm, I've looked at those. Pretty cool.

[Willieboy]

I'm sorry that happend to you Linc. It's good you were not higher up or God know what would have happened to you. Don't be too hard on yourself for not replacing the ladder sooner. You did what we all do.... close the barn door after the damage is done.

[OldLincoln]

Yeah, reminds me I need to get a safe. I can get a small safe for the cost of a step stool and a ladder. My son just told me I'm grounded for now. Can't climb with my back hurting and shouldn't climb when taking Vicadin. Life is tough with so many rules. Then he says I can't drive either, so who is going to take me shooting tomorrow? Well, if I can't shoot, I'll just have to take my Vicadin and reload some 45!

[Bawanna]

Damn kids are taking over the world I tell ya.

[kramm]

Hey Old Lincoln sorry to hear this. Just take it easy for a few days, you'll heal faster that way. Good luck to ya.

[slowpoke]

Best wishes and get well soon..

[jlottmc]

I too had a bad experience with an aluminum extension ladder. I was doing some roofing, had a bag of shingles on each shoulder about halfway up this two story house, and the damn thing snapped in half. Lucky me, I was younger than I am now, and managed to throw myself and the shingles away from me, and I landed in some mud. No fear of heights, but I don't like extension ladders, or this 10' aluminum that I have at work. That ladder throws your center of gravity WAY too far back, makes you feel like you're going to go backwards.
Get well.

[MikeyKahr]

Get well soon, OL. Sorry to hear about what happened to you. Heal up and make sure to spend extra time here at KahrTalk, it's definitely therapeutic.

[OldLincoln]

Home Depot is right. My ladder is $70 at HDE and $95 at Lowes. Same model numbers. My son had company today and couldn't pick me up to get it (not supposed to drive doped up). I'll have to wait till next weekend unless my neighbor takes me because I don't have any way of carrying it home.

[wyntrout]

I don't know if it's nation-wide, but down here all military... active or retired get 10% off at Home Depot and Lowe's. Just in case that's relevant.

Wynn:)

[AnimalBoy]

That Werner Model NXT1A06 300lb you mentioned earlier is a great upgrade. I just picked one up a week or two ago and it is much more stable than the lighter worn-out green fiberglass one I had before. The heavy rating helps but mostly I like how the linkage folds internally instead of externally. It doesn't hang up on things when I chuck it into the van, and the linkage is much heavier and helps keep the ladder stable and in position in those outstretched positions. I couldn't believe the price -- at $69 I had to grab one quick.

[OldLincoln]

The linkage was my problem with the one I used. Get the ladder a little unbalanced and it would fold the latch. I want one that you lock open and unlock to close. The over center thing doesn't cut it anymore for me. In fact that's the thing about the new Werner Stepright 3 step stepstool I plan on getting at the same time. You control the lock and unlock. I have $100 in Home Depot gift cards that will come close to getting them both.

[Dietrich]

Man,I`m really sorry to hear that you`ve been hurt.I wish you all the best and a speedy,total recovery.If it`s any consolation,an old aluminum ladder that I own is on it`s way to the dump.It has been "iffy" for quite a while and your experience has ended my procrastination concerning replacing it with a better ,albeit it more expensive one.Get well soon.

[OldLincoln]

Diet, I'm so glad to hear someone is doing the smart thing. While it's a long way from making it worth it, my hope is to save others from this. I still don't know what's up with my hip, either hip bone or kidney, but it isn't easing up any yet and it's been 3 days. I'll try to get another look at it tomorrow.

[Izzy360]

Old Lincoln sorry to hear about your fall. Hope you get well soon. What I find hard to believe is all of us here have almost no problem spending our hard earned $$$ may it be 600 to almost 900 like my recent purchase on a Kahr to protect our life and the ones of our family, friends, and home. Safety witch is something we will never put a price on. But we tend to overlookor turn a cheek to things like this. Not good. This accident could have been avoided by a simple inspection of the ladders condition and what I call the jump test. Ladders are a tool that I use almost on a daily basis for work. Alot of it is setup. I've used broken ladders and have also overweighted extension ladders. Not an accident yet and that's not to say one day I won't but there is a couple things to be learned here. 1. Always inspect your ladder before each use. Proper setup. When using a extension ladder always make sure you have two rungs above the top of roofline or whatever it is your putting ladder against. Angle. One I consider to be very important. With the correct angle climbing a ladder schould be pretty comfortable. Weight distribution. Very very important. If at all possible keep your weight in the center. One rule of thumb. I always use the claws on the feet of extension ladders. On both concrete or lawn. Lawn is always better so u can almost bury those claw feet in the ground and After you get ladder set up, step up a rung or two and jump up and down and that will tell you right away if there is a problem with your setup. Balance is the biggest if you have poor balance just forget ladders. Step ladders are always a problem even the newest ladders can be walked. Again it's balance. I can get up on a improper set-up ladder and with my balance it's no problem. Last but not least. Never never work alone. Even if someone can't be there to babysit us while we do house chores tell the wife or a neighbor whom may be home for the day just to keep an eye out because IMHO the worst thing is to be working alone, fall get hurt and there's no-one to hear you scream out for help. Put tour health and safety first.

[aray]

I just stumbled across this thread - I was in Florida when it was started.

Sorry to hear about your fall but glad to hear you're on the mend.

My father fell from only about 4' off of a thin aluminum ladder when I was a kid. He had the ladder for years with no problems but one day the right leg just folded up like a cheap pipe cleaner. He bruised his spleen - almost lost it. It's amazing how much damage a fall can do from even a low height if you land wrong.

I don't think all modern day aluminum ladders are necessarily bad however. A while back the traveling salesman from Little Giant was at Costco & I got the new style Type 1A Revolution XE 22' ladder. It's very strong and the legs flair out at each end to provide additional stability. They have a little accessory standing platform you can use so you don't have to stand on the rungs. Got lots of extra accessories, free shipping, and saved about $130 because I bought it at Costco. I've used it several times since then & it has worked very well & safely for me.

[OldLincoln]

Thanks for the continued support. I consider myself okay now, having proven no bones broken in my hip and my head has been clear for a few days. I must have landed on a corner of the ladder between my spine and big part of the hip bone. I have a deep bruise that barks when I move it. But that's just pain, not serious damage and for that I am thankful.

I know the ladder you're talking about Ray. I watched the demo at Costco and it is amazing. I would have to agree that just because it's aluminum doesn't make it bad. But those of us who have used a bad ladder for many years know it's bad and tell themselves some day it's going to get me.

Think of it like the reason you carry. You know some day you may become a victim so you choose to take preemptive action. Sameo, sameo, take the preemptive action on that ladder and stepstool and replace it now while it's fresh on your mind.

[Dietrich]

Glad to hear that it turned out to be nothing serious and you`re on the mend.

[OldLincoln]

I got my new ladder yesterday and if there was any doubt before, I can officially announce I am just plain dumb.

I got the commercial ladder I wanted after comparing it with the residential version and noting it is twice the ladder in quality. It's thicker fiberglass, very sturdy locking system, back side super braced, and much more. The residential version was $55 and mine was $97 - but marked down to $69, only $15 more.

So why am I so dumb? Here's why, this ladder is so well made that it will last 30-40 years or more in normal residential use. At my age, that means I could have bought it's equivalent 20 years ago and used a sturdy ladder all these years - and not fallen a week ago.

We don't consider this stuff when young and probably making the most will will in our careers, but we should. My son said I don't need that quality of ladder and I replied, no but you will have it when I'm gone and your kids after that, and that makes me feel good about it. Besides I don't want them to get hurt when they help me around the yard.

I won't go on anymore about ladders, but for the cost of 2 or 3 boxes of 45 you can have something that will last much longer. I'm very pleased to still be alive with all my faculties and glad I bought it now.