Although this is a little off of the subject of tower climbing, I did fall
from a roof.
And, here's what can happen!
For years I have worked as a self employed building inspector. Sometimes
we are called house inspectors. Having been licensed since 1963, I had been
climbing towers and onto roofs for more than 30 years. I have never been
really
at ease on a tower or a roof. But, I did it anyway.
On January 14, 1998 I was doing an inspection of a home on a rural road here
in Nevada County. It had sprinkled that morning and was really threatening
to
rain. So, instead of inspecting the roof last, I did it first.
I placed a standard extension ladder onto the soil and climbed up the
ladder.
The shake roof did not look good so I went down to get my digital camera.
The next
trip up the ladder was my last. As I stepped from the ladder and onto the
roof, I ladder
went down. I fell backwards approximately 12 to 14 feet landing on my head
and
right shoulder. My head and part of my back landed on a wood deck. The
bottom
part of my back and my legs landed in the dirt. I was knocked unconscious.
The first person on the scene, the real estate agent did not know what to
do.
Fortunately, the occupant of the house did call 911. I remember the rescue
personnel cutting off my clothing and placing me on a backboard. They duct
taped
my legs in a folded position. It was too painful for me to straighten my
legs. They
did immobilized my head and neck. I remember part of the ride to the
hospital and
I remember getting large doses of morphine. I was in terrible pain.
I spent 7 hours in the emergency room at our local hospital. They did a
large
number of x-rays and CAT scans. The radiologist said that I broke my neck
at C-6 and also had multiple rib fractures. Because of my injuries I was
then
transferred to a trauma center about 50 miles away. The ride to the trauma
center was very painful. Fortunately, I was unconscious most of the time.
I spent four days in intensive care. The next twelve weeks were spent in a
hospital
bed in my family room. I wore a brace from my waist to my head for about
a month. I took large doses of pain killers for the first three weeks. A
phone call from Dr. Wolf Ostwald, DF2PY, convinced me to get off of the
narcotics and start healing. Which is what I did.
Months later I still have a great deal of pain. So, what's the point of
bringing this up?
Well, just be very careful. I have learned that a fall from 12 feet can be
nearly fatal. Recovery takes months and will affect everyone in your
family. My medical
bills came to more than $35,000. It is fair to say that the fall changed my
life.
73, Jim Heath KB6SX
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