rabbitjoker vs. boat trailer (aka rabbitjoker's BC accident)
I have just returned from a house boating vacation in the Okanogan valley of BC with a couple of long-time friends (full trip review/photos to be posted at a later date).
The 2nd last day of my trip was rabbitjoker vs. boat trailer – and the boat trailer won.
After spending 5 days on the houseboat we moored the ship in the harbor, unloaded our gear and refueled. The refueling process takes about 45 minutes so we decided to toss the football around in the gravel parking lot while waiting.
While playing football in the parking lot various vehicles were entering and exiting, dropping off gear to be loaded onto their boats, picking up sea-doos, etc, etc. During our football tossing (unbeknownst to me) a truck pulled into the load and parked a sea-doo trailer about 10 feet behind me.
We continued to toss the ball between the 4 of us and when it was my turn to receive the ball one of the tosses was a little off target; it’s trajectory was just over my shoulder - an easy catch if one was to turn and run for it. Being a former football athlete (running back) I turned and ran hard to catch the ball.
I ended up running at full speed into the sea-doo trailer (sans boat).
I took the hitch part of it in the hard on chest and collapsed onto my right knee – it hitting the ground firmly. The gravel and force of my knee hitting the ground tore through the skin, fat, muscle and bursa sack (almost to the patella/knee cap). I could tell the gash was deep from the color of the tissue and the pocket of blood that was forming under the skin.
Immediately I sprang into action – ordering one friend to go find the location of the nearest hospital, the other to get a compress, the last to get the keys and some water. A bit of an audience had formed with the other people in the parking lot – so explained to them that I was ok and that everything was under control. While waiting for my friends to return I also explained that I was the safety officer of the trip – and as Fortune would have it – I myself was now injured. I continued with my dissertation on safety as my friends returned with the necessary supplies to transport me to the clinic (turns out there is no hospital in Sicamous, BC).
As we were preparing to leave – one of the onlookers said to my friend “I think he is in shock! He sure is talking a lot…” to which my friend replied “No ma’am. That is how my friend always is.”
Upon arrival at the clinic I explain my injuries to the nurse who takes down my information and then escorts me into a treatment room to wait (mainly because I was talking to all the other people in the waiting room). A short while later the doctor arrived and began to practice his craft.
The doctor was surprised with how many layers had been torn through and noted that he would have to scrub me with the bristle brush to ensure that he gets all the gravel out. So he gave me 6 small injections of local anesthetic and then scrubbed out the dirt with a bristle brush and cut off a bunch of the mangled skin. He then stuck his finger 2 knuckles deep through the hole in the skin on my knee and scooped/swept debris out from the pocket of skin that had formed. It was unnerving to have one’s knee manipulated that way (from under the skin). He also used some large tweezers to pick hard ground in stones.
After about 20 minutes of cleaning the doctor then sewed me up with 4 stitches, being sure to suture all of the torn layers. He then gave me tetanus shot and a prescription for antibiotics so that the bone doesn’t get infected. A further inspection for injuries also turned up a bruised/cracked rib – which unfortunately has no treatment protocol other than rest.
I then went to the IDA to get the prescription filled and to purchase dressings for my wound. From that day forward I promised myself to never again take on boat trailers – because the boat trailer will always win.
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- rabbit.joker [funny¿rabbit] | www.rabbitjoker.com |www.ddtt.org
Dark Dirty Tech Tribal. | Hands in air (trance) and feet on the floor (house).
Last edited by rabbitjoker on Aug-23-2006 at 18:51
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Damnit it sounded painful!!!!!!ouchie ouch ouch!!!!
