House Gets Listed Tomorrow

[Kathianne]

Dang it's been a long few months. The house looks empty, well at least to how it's looked for years.

The other day my klutziness kicked in. Saturday early evening, decided to get the outside of dining room window washed along with patio door. Did the door first, no problem. Well standing on level ground with rag and hose, not a problem, even for me.

Went to do the dining room window, couldn't reach more than the bottom 1/3. Went and got step ladder, tricky placement as it's inbetween two deep window wells, with covers. I managed to wash it, getting down from the ladder, one of my feet hit the cover of the deepest one, 5" deep; the cover broke and my foot went down. Luckily the other foot was still on the ladder, so one leg, followed by the rest of me, sans the one leg went down, my hands managed to catch the sides of the well, so I was sort of 'suspended', folded into the well.

My sons were off camping, to return Sunday night. My neighbor/friends were at their summer home-I had to get out! Somehow I manage to throw the ladder off, then pulled myself out using my one 'outside' leg and my hands. I have horrible upper body strength, like most women. The outside leg was scratched up, the other side of my body looks like I was beaten. No shorts or sleeveless shirts for awhile. :laugh2: Man, I now know where those 'pec' muscles are, it's Thursday and it still hurts to laugh or even breathe.

While I was dangling all I could think of was that scene from "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" where the old guy drowned in his soup. I could envision the headlines, 'woman dies in window well...'

[emmett]

Poor thing. I say that as I chuckle with you. ZDon't know if I can top it but I'll share one with you too.

While I was on the road driving the ten car carrier i had an incident involving a hydraulic hose that burst in the process of raising the rear deck which held a heavy Ford Expedition. It was about half way up to it's desired position at the time.

Well, no big deal really as my inspection revealed a small tear in the hose that could easily be repaired by removing the hose from the gob of hydraulic hoses that ran through the entirety of the unit. So...I decided to remove it. It was about 6:30 in the evening. The dealership where I had picked up the unit was closing at 8:00 pm and other businesses in the small mini mall I was parked in were also.

I decided I would remove the faulty hose and then get out my trusty J D Razor and ride it to a local Auto Parts store that could easily repair the hose by installing a coupler at the place of the damage. No problem. I was in hurry however as I had one more stop to pick up a last unit that would eventually ride under the rear "top" spot I had just the Expedition into. In my haste I forgot to pin off the deck I had raised when removing the hose that was damaged. The hose was in a most compromised location way down under the deck and the position I had to lay left my legs on top of the bottom deck while I hung somewhat upside down to access the undercarriage of the trailor.

As I broke loose the nuts necessary to remove the hose I remembered that I had forgotten to pin off the upper deck. Just as the hydraulic fluid from the built up pressure shot me in the side of the face I saw the top deck slowly creep down onto the top of my leg and trap my foot in between the decks. An Expedition weighs about 5,000 pounds, combined with the weight of the deck itself that is enough to pin a fellow down.

With the hose split I had no pressure in line to raise the deck, even if I could reach the control panel, which I could not. It felt pretty humbling to know that I had done something so stupid as to pin myself into this predicament but not quite as humbling as knowing it would be necessary to scream and holler my brains out to attract some assistance to get me out.

The pressure of the deck broke the rotator part of my ankle by the way. I didn;t know the damage at the time. All I knew was I could not break free and each time I pulled with any pressure i only wrenched in pain. I was stuck and I mean stuck good, upside down, under a car carrier, with no ability to get out. AND I was a stupid idiot!!!

Along about thirty minutes later a landscaper dude came along after hearing me screming at him from across the parking lot. By that time I was dizzy and feeling weakheaded, I imagine due to the fact that all my blood was collecting in my pea sized brain. He agreed to help me, as I guess anyone would have but had no idea how to work the sophisicated controls of the car carrier, even if the one controlling deck# 26, which had me pinned down was operative, which of course, it was not.

He did assist me in removing the hose that led to deck #26, which of course had to be completely removed and allowed the pressure to complete releasiong, adding the entire weight of the deck which had been previously prevented by my tightening the nut on it before the entire pressure was on me. My foot was now completely wedged into a space big enough for about two fingers and crushed.

The man then took the hose to the local O'Reilly Auto Parts store where they had the ability to make up hydraulic hoses. (Not all auto parts stores do). The attendent who was there came back with the man after fixing up a perfectly matched hose and they helped me install it. Well, they couldn't fit down into the space where the fittings were connected to the hydraulic block so I had to do that myself. Eventually aropund 9:30, we had the hose installed and with my instruction the Attendent from O'Reilly Auto Parts was able to follow my instruction as to how to raise the deck.

Free from my dialemma I went on to my next stop, crushed foot and all and loaded my last stop. I completed my entire trip wearing a moonshoe after a trip to a local Hospital Emergency room. Of course I could not take the pain medication they gave me as being a truck driver does not allow any pain medication to be in your system. It was a long two weeks before I got home. It was also rather tough balancing around on top of the carrier loading cars but ZI got through it.

Feel better?

[Kathianne]

Emmett, you may have beat me there! LOL! Yep, the worst thing is that if one only took a couple seconds to think! Why didn't I look where my bottom foot was going? I still am trying for figure how a managed to grab the well, while yanking down the ladder. :eek:

[emmett]

Emmett, you may have beat me there! LOL! Yep, the worst thing is that if one only took a couple seconds to think! Why didn't I look where my bottom foot was going? I still am trying for figure how a managed to grab the well, while yanking down the ladder. :eek:


Even a falling parachutist whose chute does not open reaches for something!

:laugh2: