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Idea Design

New Member
Hi all -

I haven't been on lately as much as I usually am. I don't post much of anything very helpful, but I'm on here a lot trying to learn as I go.

On Sunday, June 6th, my wife and I and some of our friends had gone back to the house we were moving out of for the very last load of stuff. There was a decoration of a star that my wife had me put on the front of the garage last year that I had forgotten to taken down until now. I stopped by my shop to get the ladder so I could go and get the thing down.

Let me start by saying I'm not a fan of ladders, much less when I'm such a jackass that I decide to sideslope the driveway with the ladder instead of go parallel with it. I climbed all the way up to the next to the last step, removed the star, handed it down to my wife, then went to adjust my balance to come on down the ladder.

I'm 6'-7" tall on the next to the last rung of a 10' ladder and I didn't have any kind of balance by this time. Because I decided to put the ladder sideways on the slope of the driveway like an idiot, it began to sway underneath me. Once to the left, the once to the right completely out from underneath me.

I turned 90° in mid air and come down on the concrete driveway completely on my left hip. After studying the situation for a while, the wife decided to call the ambulance to get me to the hospital.

They x-ray'd my hips and my left arm. My left hip is broken in about 4 place and my left arm had a radial head fracture.

They take me in for surgery on Tuesday and I had a nasty reaction to the spinal anesthesia that put me into cardiac arrest and I had to be pounded back to life by a 360 pound orthopedic surgeon.

So here I lay in the hospital, awaiting some kind of PT to get me back on my feet so that I can help my business try and make some money again.

BTW, busted hip, not something I recommend. Sonofabitch.
 

GypsyGraphics

New Member
Cody, so sorry to hear about your injury. Must be true what they say "the bigger they are the harder they fall." And at 6'7" that must have been one hard fall. That busted up... seems kinda soon to be thinking about work.... but glad to see ya back here!
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Yowsa.... take your time healing and do everything they tell ya to get better. We'll always be here, so don't worry about 101, but get your sorry big butt back here as soon as possible and post pictures of your big ass busted butt quickly.

Anyone that can end a post with 'Sonofabitch' with the way you did it... has got to have a sense of humor and will do just fine.
 

Dave Drane

New Member
Did you fall down in slow motion?? I almost took a fall once because I was too lazy to chock the trestles. As I squeegeed the lettering I pused the trestles bacwards and felt them falling away. A million thoughts passed through my head in that split second but I managed to just grip a little bit of beading around the fascia and gently pull myself forward. I gaurantee parts of my fingernails are still embedded in that wood!
 

Jillbeans

New Member
Ouch!
So I am assuming you will never again emulate Clark Griswold?
I'm just teasing. I am glad it wasn't worse, although I can't imagine how bad a busted hip would hurt. At least your neck and brain are still intact!
Heal up.
Love....Jill
 

wrapman jamz

New Member
Cody, I didn't know you till now. But we are now in a fraternity of broken ladder users. First, thanks to be alive! Second, I know the pain all to well.

Hope you have a speedy recovery! I fell in 2003 and still suffer daily.

I'm happy that the surgeons opted to save the one foot...I sort of needed it.
 

surf city

New Member
Cody, sorry to hear about your accident and yes I can agree the hip thing is no fun, I get to have both of mine replaced this October...woohoo lucky me. Good luck with your recovery and hope you heal quickly and get back to your life. Keep us posted on your progress and try to keep a positive attitude, it will help.
 

Salmoneye

New Member
Wow, those sound like real injuries. We wish you the best of luck. I find myself doing little stupid things on ladders and constantly have to remind myself that they can kill. I think that the painters union was touting 8' as the magic number for a deathly fall to be likely (something like that). We humans can be fragile. Again our best to you and your family.
 

Si Allen

New Member
That sucks!

When you start the Physical Therapy ... don't skimp on it! Do all they tell you to do ... and maybe a bit extra! It pays off in the long run! (That's from a guy who has had more repairs and replacement parts than a '53 Buick!)
 

Idea Design

New Member
So it's been 20 days since I crashed off the ladder, and I've been in the hospital ever since. Trying desperately to get some kind of control on the broken leg. It's excruciating pain every time I set it on the ground and I just have to keep on truckin' and try to get over it.

I thought some of you guys would want to check out the xray photos of my leg and my arm. There are two of my upper femur near the hip; one upon arrival at the hospital, the other with all new titanium hardware installed. The other is of the radial head fracture of my left arm.

Good times...good times.
 

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GypsyGraphics

New Member
Geeezzz, it hurts just to look at those!

In that third pic, are those titanium tubes? I'd have thought they'd be more like a rod. I don't see screws or anything attaching them.

20 days in the hospital!!! i go outta my mind if i'm sick in bed for a day!
 
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