flip flops and garage safety

[mjeff87]

flip flops and garage safety (pics added....)

Well, I screwed up. Bad. Hopefully this post will serve as a safety reminder for all of you guys/gals here.....

Finally got mirror relocation brackets for the TJ so I can run doorless. Installed them last Friday after work, and was taking the steel half doors off and did a stupid move. Pulled the passenger door off and set it on the step rail to get a better grip on it, and then proceeded to lift it by the soft upper and it fell straight to the ground (for those that don't know, soft uppers are not fastened to the steel lower doors, they just sit on them and are held in by three little metal posts). Problem was, I was wearing flip flops instead of my steel-toes, and crushed a couple of toes and 90% amputated the tip of my second toe.

911 call (I was home alone), ride to the hospital in the meatwagon, 5 hours in the ER with IV antibiotics, 12 stitches through the nailbed, and got back home about 9 PM that night with a bottle of percocets and some antibiotics. Oh, and I almost forgot.....a teatnus shot just to round everything off.

Saw an orthopedic surgeon yesterday, hopefully I'll be able to keep the toe tip that they sutured back together. That toenail is gone, and I might have to have the big toenail taken off too if the pressure underneath it doesn't start subsiding. All three toes on the right foot are broken, and the big toe on my left foot is badly bruised. I'll post up some pics or links to them if anyone is interested.
Jeff

Lesson: even the simplest of things can go very bad if you aren't thinking about what you're doing

 

[haugy]

Ow. So glad I went to soft doors on mine.

Sorry to hear about that man. I'm in the shop all the time with flip flops unless I'm doing metal work. Thanks for the reminder to be careful.

 

[54FordPanel]

Ouch, that sounds very painful.

 

[Professur]

I don't even own flip flops, but I enjoyed the story. Good luck on the recovery.

 

[ImportTuner]

Damm .. sorry to hear about your accident. Flip flops are comfortable but dangerous for your toes especially in the garage.

 

[yogitech]

no j/k

Sorry to hear that... I'm guilty of this more often than not. Good luck!

 

[red baron]

Flip Flops are never safe.... sorry to hear you learned your lesson

I think this is one of the few times pics are not neccesary!

Here's to a speedy recovery!

 

[Matt M PA]

Here's to wishing a complete receovery...and quick!

And I agree with Red Baron..pix are not needed!

 

[mjeff87]

ok, no pics (for now LOL)......thanks for the well wishes everyone

Here's how I've been describing the toe tip to everyone, it's a perfect visual. Picture a zippo refillable lighter, you know the one with the metal hinged-top case? Flip the top open while holding the lighter horizontal.....that was my toe on Friday.



Jeff

 

[ddawg16]

Makes my hammer head incident on Sunday seem so insignificant....OUCH!!!!

Foot injuries are tough....if your foot gets 1" below the level of your head...the pressure is a killer.....

Get well soon...

 

[walrus]

Man that stinks, hope you feel better soon. I wear sneakers to work in all the time, not sure they're any better than flip flops in your case

 

[JCQuick]

ouch I have to admit I wear flipflops just about 24-7

 

[scottzilla]

no j/k

Sorry to hear that... I'm guilty of this more often than not. Good luck!

+1. Gotta see pics.

 

[gary300]

ouch I have to admit I wear flipflops just about 24-7

Ditto that, being in So Cal and all. I do still have my Air Force steel toed boots for any dangerous stuff though.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Sorry to hear about the door coming down. Those things are heavier than they look.

I hope the recovery is speedy and complete. It's amazing what they can save these days.

 

[Demian]

Flip flops are for the beach or the pool and that's about it, of course my wife won't wear anything else and thinks I'm crazy for always wearing shoes in FL.

Good luck with those toes and remember you only get one set of feet so take care of them.

 

[syndrome_34]

There are a lot of easier ways to score percocet...good luck with the recovery!

 

[great white tj]

Damn doors, Jeeps should be sold Top less and Door less...

 

[28HopUp]

OUCH - wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[larry_g]

Its the shits to have to waste time in the ER. Heres hoping a speedy recovery and here's your


DA

lg
no neat sig line

 

[MrSnicks]

Took my doors off a few months ago. Full steel doors with no problems. I also don't own flip-flops. They don't give my 300lb body enough support/comfort. I also try not to go barefoot as that hurts after a while also.

Get better soon and ... I can haz percocet?

 

[T.Hadley]

Don't own any flip flops, and never will...

Sorry to hear that, hope it all works out for you.

T.

 

[speed bump]

Just buy a set of clackers for when you go out in the garage. Personally I wear flip flops as much as possible (which isn't much considering where I live) and depending on the job will wear them out in the garage you just have to be careful.

 

[Hylke]

Note to self: hold on tight to my CJ full steel doors...

Ouch, I wish you a speedy recovery. I can think of what it must have looked like since I work in diagnostic imaging and get to do a lot of that kind of work in the ER.

Having worked as a carpenter and a paver before I was always glad to wear steel toed boots. Should've thought of steel gloves and shin protectors too btw.

Oh, and someone show Grizz this thread

 

[mjeff87]

steel-toed flip-flops (not):

post-ER:

the grand unveiling night:

 

[cyclopsblown34]

There are a lot of easier ways to score percocet...good luck with the recovery!

We needed a little levity in this thread. Man, hope you get to gimping around pretty soon. I guess I'm safe, I can't walk in flip flops, I feel like they're falling off my feet.

 

[Jim Stabe]

Gives me the willies just looking at it.

 

[red baron]

Ahh man! I thought we agreed on no pics!!!

 

[Jack Olsen]

Now my toes hurt.

 

[Greg-nwo]

Ouchie..... friend of mine had a skill saw split his second toe in half.... just wearing running shoes at the time.

Speedy recovery!

 

[930dreamer]

Ouch, that's going to hurt. I wear sandals in the shop also

 

[reinhardt]

i'm sorry to hear that. i am all about safety, for the most part. i work in the shipyard, so they ingrain it into us. i have a pair of safety glasses on my pegboard w/ a pair of muffs beside them. always wear my steel toes w/ pants in the garage. my buddy down the street on the other hand, i was working on a car w/ him and he used a bench grinder w/ a wire wheel to clean some fasteners w/ no safety glasses!

anywho, be safe and hope ya heal up soon.

 

[kornjulio]

Thanks for sharing what I'm sure was an embarrassing lesson. We all learn when people do this.

 

[viper86]

just what I needed to see right before supper I'm guilty of wearing them more than I should when I'm working out in the garage, but I'm going to rethink that now. here's hoping for a quick recovery

 

[6768rogues]

I learned not to wear sandals when using a power washer the hard way.

 

[Rudyjr]

Those pictures hurt just to look at them. I had flashbacks of the time I was moving kitchen cabinets that I was going to install the next day. I had on flip flops and dropped a base cabinet on my toes, holy sh*t did that hurt.

 

[keflaman]

Any damage to the doors?

 

[dumper]

there was a post here I believe during the past year or two about not wearing flip flops while welding! No pictures were posted of that event.

 

[Fauj]

Hope you have a speedy recovery! I too am a poster child for what not to do in flip flops... was standing on the bumper of my old 67' and reached in toward the carb when my feet slipped, broke/cracked a couple of ribs when I landed on the radiator support.

 

[rodnok1]

Reminds me of a neighbor who liked to weed wack and push mow in flip flops, then a stone came winging out and ripped his toe nail off... He wore boots after that.
I could have done without close ups of your toes... I'm gonna have to stop wearing slippers out to the shop now even just to get something.