"Car People" injuries

So over the weekend I put a nice hole in one of my fingers. The kind that most people rush to the hospital for, and upon later reflection, you realize that it might have needed a stitch or two. But after years of working on cars, I slapped a butterfly bandage over it, wrapped it in some gauze and tape and went back to work. Today, it requires only a band-aid and some TLC.

I think that working at 2am trying to make the grid the next day makes you a pretty good DIY EMT over the years. Does anyone else have a spouse that looks at you and says "oh honey, you really should have someone look at that" as you slap a bandage on it and wipe the blood from the 14mm?

Unless I come in from the garage sporting a bit of paper towel ducttaped over a body part, my wife assumes I wasn't actually working on the car.

Did the Rondo bite you?

I put a nice hole in my finger after the cut off tool bounced off a piece of metal underneath the sheet metal I was cutting.

I also have a nice scar on my shoulder where a blob of molten metal went through my welding coat and tshirt.

I have many others, but those were the two memorable.

Even when I'm leaving a trail of blood Mr. Magoo could follow from the garage to the sink, SWMBO simply asks, "Do we need to go to the ER?" my response is "No." Then she asks, "What do you need me to get?" Which is usually some combo of alcohol, peroxide, gauze/cotton balls, antibiotic ointment, band aids and/or super glue.

We've kind of worked out a system over the years.

HappyAndy wrote: Did the Rondo bite you?

The Rondo requires no maintenance, ever. No, this was not a car-related injury and the specifics are too embarrassing to share here. Let's just say that I have safely operated a chain saw but managed to almost lose a digit with a simple phillips screwdriver.

I have actually had to call a friend whose shop I was using and tell him the following.

"Hey, just to let you know... Dont worry about the large bloodstain on the floor, its mine and I'm fine. In related news, I hate exhaust systems." (springloaded bolt sheared and fired the bolt head and vicegrip at my face, catching my lower lip badly)

I have also burned a softball sized hole in the crotch of my pants while welding in a wheel well, on a brisk day, and ridden home on a moped after. (working on Gimp's CP car a few years back welding in the cage parts in front of the firewall, kinda glad noone was there to videotape the "flaming crotch dance" where I was trying to beat out the flames... for the record, all I suffered was equivalent to a mild sunburn )

My hands are just constantly covered in scabs if something's borked on a car. I hate hose clips. I haven't done anything more stupid than that.

My dad and I did try to pull a fender dent out of my Miata once with those suction cups. My dad somehow chipped his front tooth instead. He then opted to pay for PDR and the dentist bill because in comparison, the dent repair bill was much cheaper than the tooth!

In reply to Apexcarver: Similar story. My buddy sent me a note assuring me that he had not slaughtered a deer in my shop. Everyone was ok but on a related note we were now running low on speedy dry and he would buy some before his next trip up.

I prefer paper towel and electrical tape for shop wound first aid. If I ever need to head to the ER my Wife will know it's serious.

Whenever I'm working with metal I'm bleeding from somewhere. I've had to crazy glue my knee to stop a gusher. I once stabbed a sharp piece of cage tubing into my skull, almost poking out my eye right thru a full face mask. I've given myself a 3rd degree burn on more than one occasion. I've flashed my eyes with a TIG torch. I've hit a knuckle with an angle grinder. I've had a doctor remove a rusty shard of steel from my eyeball. Twice. I've got a spinning wire wheel (angle grinder again) caught in my shirt and tore up my chest. I've even been attacked by bees that took up residence in a trunk.

Now that I think about it... I am doing it wrong.

I have been attacked by bees while working on a car. Hornets had a nest on the backside of a caliper I needed to remove. They were less than pleased when I started to whack at it with a hammer (junk car that I needed to move, caliper was stuck)

Bees?

Wow I'm going pretty good compared to the rest of you. Worst I got was either when I got a big slash from the edge of my fingernail caused by a sharp bracket, or a small cut I got on the palm of my hand that didn't heal for a couple of days because it needed something to hold it closed.

I can remember few recent injuries that I've inflicted upon myself that were not tended to in some part with super glue.

Superglue is an essential part of my toolbox.

The wife doesn't even bat an eye anymore. The worst was actually not car related - I took a nice little divot of fingernail off the top of my nail with my (exceedingly sharp) kitchen knife. Right down to the nailbed. Putting the liquid bandaid stuff on that was pretty bad.

The worst I had is when I got brake fluid splashed in my eyes. I was trying to pry off the brake master cylinder reservoir from the master cylinder on my POS Ranger. Those stupid rubber grommets would not give up the fight. When it finally let go, the residual brake fluid splashed me right in the face. Right in the eyeballs to be exact. I just stood there while the auto shop manager ran up to me. Luckliy (?) my contacts stopped the brake fluid from reaching my seeing organs. I had zero pain at all but I was prepared to run to the emergency eye wash station. It kinda freaked me out. Now I wear eye-pro religiously.

Worst I have had was when a VERY sharp electric fan blade trimmed some meat off of the index and second fingers of my left hand. THAT was nasty. I do have a pic for the strong of stomach. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/jensenman/Fingers1.jpg

In reply to Apexcarver:

I did the flaming crotch dance too.

The worst was when the MIG gun didn't shut off and rammed the glowing tip through four layers of shirt and about 3" down my chest before I figured out what was happening.

Still have the scar from a year ago on that one.

Actually no, the worst one was when I dropped a car on myself. Happily, just my finger got caught under the jackstand. I was stupid then, though.

In reply to stanger_missle:

Ohhhh, I forgot about the time I got gas in my ear. That was pretty terrible. Took a second for the pain to start.

I've burnt myself more than once when welding. I did drop a damn suspension strut on my left foot, the big toenail still looks graunchy from that.

cmcgregor wrote: In reply to stanger_missle: Ohhhh, I forgot about the time I got gas in my ear. That was pretty terrible. Took a second for the pain to start.

What's worse: get gasoline on Little Jimmy and the twins. Oh laws does that hurt; you will do stupid things. I did it on a dirt bike, there was fuel on top of the tank from a leaky vent, I slid forward to corner and my jeans got wet with it. When it soaked all the way through I leaped off the bike then started dancing around trying to get my pants off; this was difficult because of the boots I was wearing. My buddies all stopped to watch, they thought I had gone crazy. It took a while for the burning to stop.

Something similar happened to a riding buddy years later, when I caught up to him he was on the side of the trail emptying his CamelBak into his crotch.

I learned to keep a small first aid kit in my tool box and the outside faucet is just a few steps away. I often come into work on Monday with bandages and/or scratched up hands. I've tried wearing gloves but they get in the way.

In reply to Curmudgeon:

Thanks for my new irrational fear.

Not car related but when we were rebuilding my house I learned not to out your face directly behind the pry bar when you are pulling nails out of framing. I thought for a minute I broke my cheek bone. I also prefer tape and paper towel or superglue if it is in a weird spot. I also almost got knocked out by a beam people were holding that came down and got me in the head, looked like it was right out of a three stooges film.

pinchvalve wrote:

HappyAndy wrote: Did the Rondo bite you?

The Rondo requires no maintenance, ever. No, this was not a car-related injury and the specifics are to embarrassing to share here. Let's just say that I have safely operated a chain saw but managed to almost lose a digit with a simple phillips screwdriver.

nothing is too embarrassing to detail here ….