Safety Issues = Power Tools

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Good luck. Sorry that you have to go through this.

As has already been said a number of times, your candor and pictures may save another one of us from a simple mistake that could have deadly consequences.

Thank you,
richg99
 
Wow Johnny that is quite the story. Glad you came out of it alive and kicking. When my wife's jaw was wired shut, she said she loved milkshakes. I love woodworking, and have had some close calls, but usually a kick back comes from a pinch point of some kind. I know you probably all ready know this, but I would check to make sure your fence and blade are aligned with each other. Hopefully you heal quickly and are back on your feet as fast as possible.
 
Jeez Johnny, that's awful!

Years ago, I did communications work for an Ag Chem corporation which was trying to clean up its act after years of careless management. (Ended up winning a Safety Award for "most improved" from the national safety council.) The work was done by the employees and the plant managers, I was just reminding folks with a number of safe operations campaigns. The plant workers were counting the days until we made one year; a couple of plant managers had to start checking up on employees who were going to take vacations days instead of saying they got hurt at work. Those folks really worked at safe operations.

I pissed off about 500 folks down in Chattanooga, TN, when I sent out buttons with "Engage Brain Before Operating Body" on them, with pins for their jackets. :) I still think that is the key--at least for me.

But accidents happen in the most innocent circumstances. I'm real glad you are repair-able AND that you have insurance--imagine what that repair is going to cost!

Darned expensive piece of wood.

Take care of yourself, hear?
 
well - in this case, the cure is worse than the bite !!

went in on Oct. 2nd for the followup operation to clean out the wounds
and screw the broken facial bones back together.... dang it HURTS !!

good news and bad news:

the good ~ during the reconstruction, the broken jaw just popped back into
the proper alignment and stayed there, so the doc made the decision not to
wire the teeth closed (thank God for that little tidbit).
dozens of screws and pins holding my facial bones together now. First incision
was to re-open the long laceration down the left side of the nose to clean it out
and do whatever it takes for me to breathe through the left nostril again.
and guess what - - - when I first went to the ER on Sept 3rd, the trauma surgeon
just cleaned me up and sewed up my nose to stop the bleeding..... well, great job on them !!!
BUT - when the plastic surgeon opened it back up to do his thing, 4 weeks later,
he found a piece of the wood the size of a teaspoon lodged in the nostril cavity!!!!!
yeah, a big ole honkin piece of WOOD had broken off and stuck inside my face.
wow - this piece of wood was pushing on the main facial nerve for FOUR WEEKS and
when it was removed, it was like removing a tourniquet off of a severed leg. the nerve
that affects the whole left side of my face had died from the trauma. completely destroyed.
now - the bad news.
the whole top lip is 100% numb. the whole left side of my face is 100% numb from the
nose to the ear, from the eyebrow to the chin and the top left quarter of my teeth and gums,
- - - completely numb. and the vision in my left eye dropped to 50% clear vision.
the next morning when I woke up, I thought I had had a stroke.... summoned the nurse,
she called the doctor at home, he talked to me on the phone and explained to me what had happened.
the next morning on his visit, he showed me photos of his reconstruction and WHAT A MESS !!!
I have to drink liquids out of the right corner of my mouth through a straw because I have no feeling
in the top lip and it just dribbles out . . . so that will take some practice. (I miss my morning coffee !!!).
his repair techniques took him through the left eyebrow, the inside left eyelids and up through the upper lip.
I can feel the sutures which will dissolve away in a few days . . . very strange sensations !!
I can get small teaspoons of soft solid food into the mouth and chew somewhat normally, so that is good.
and I got to keep my beard !!!!!!!!!!!!!
the doctor said the numbness could last up to a year..... eventually, the damaged nerves will repair themselves
but I should only expect 50 to 75% improvement after 6 months to a year.
my doctor is a retired US Air Force surgeon that served at Walter Reed Army Hospital in DC for 10 years putting
our wounded soldiers back together..... so I am very Blessed to have him as my plastics guy as well as very
honored to have a fellow "shipmate" that has done so much for our wounded veterans.
he did an excellent job on my face, considering what he had to work with.
it will just take time for me to get back to some kind of normal.
my playtime has hit an all time hiatus so I need to find some hobbies that do not include machinery or sharp tools. LOL.
and since my vision and sense of balance is compromised, to stay OUT of boats and anything that is not permanently attached to Terra Firma.
I will keep you all in the loop as far as any future developments.


and to reiterate again . . . . POWER TOOLS CAN KILL YOU !!!!
no matter how skilled and careful you try to be.

face 007.jpg






.
 
As I was reading that I forgot that I reading the good news until I read the bad news. Ouch! The procedures they are doing probably make you feel like they are picking on you. I know they say it is for your own good but it doesn't seem so at this point. After you get well, I will be glad to have you on my side if I ever get into a barroom brawl. I know you can take a licking and keep on ticking. Good luck with your recovery.
 
Wow, until you got to the part of about the nerves regenerating in six months, I hadn't found any good news.

I guess, in just a few seconds, our lives can be changed in a major way. Sounds like you've got the right attitude and will recover, probably better than ever.

Oh, Hollywood called, they have rescinded the offer to play the leading role in that new drama. They do have an offer for Beauty and the Beast. Guess which part they want you for?

.....Just trying for a little levity here, you know.....

Get well, and keep us posted.

richg99
 
Sorry to hear about the problems the missed piece of wood has caused you. Hopefully they regenerate rapidly for you. Glad to hear the good news that they didn't have to wire your jaw.
 
OH NO -- I just noticed what you did!!! :LOL2: Nicely done Johnny. I'm glad you are near a wifi spot. :LOL2:

I edited my original post to remove the "spoiler". Let's see if others notice.
 
Johnny during my latest tool box talks I have brought up your example and another example. For your example I tell the crew a well seasoned, wood worker with a safety conscious attitude had an accident that he did not foresee occurring. I read outloud your explanation of the accident. The other example is of someone who was trained, but did not think safety. The other guy was using a grinder with a cutting wheel. He held the wheel in his hand when he plugged in the tool. The power button was depressed. He now has 3 fingers total and a long scar on his inner thigh inches from his plumbing.

I tell them be like Johnny, safety conscious and be aware that anything can happen and be a true accident and not like number 2 who did not think safety and his incident could have been prevented. This seems to have worked as I have noticed people are looking at common tasks differently.
 
All I can say is I hope you heal quickly and every passing day you feel better than the day before.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the safety reminder and glad you’re on the mend. How are you tolerating your wired jaw ? We have a vitamix mixer from Costco. Makes better smoothies than any mixer I’ve had - zero grit / chunks. Ground flax seed is a good protein source for blended drinks and totally tasteless and gritless when using the vitamin.
 

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