Topic: **Good cautionary tale** Don't let this happen to you -- blood & gore
**At the suggestion of the Evil one I've moved this to a high traffic area and pinned it, its a good cautionary tale for everyone. Be careful out there folks, your garage is more dangerous than the track.**
I have always thought that I was a safe worker, being careful to avoid injury. I am sure that all of you think the same thing about your own work. However, what happened to me last Saturday morning was a real wake-up call, and I want to share it with you. If it can prevent just one injury to one of you, it will be worth the embarrassment of confessing this.
I was using a high-speed cut off disk to grind off a tack weld I was unhappy with. As best I can figure, the thin disk got caught in the cut. Perhaps I had changed the angle of the tool. Perhaps the gods decided that it was time to teach me a lesson. It happened so fast that I have no memory of it. The grinder was suddenly whipped from where I was cutting and sliced into the index finger of my left hand, right through my glove as if it wasn't even there. All I knew was that there was suddenly lots of blood and pain.
After a quick wash and first aid, it was off to Urgent Care. The magic words "He's bleeding" bypassed the waiting room and got me immediate attention. They quickly determined that they didn't need to forward me to the emergency room, which was strangely comforting. After some x-rays (to make sure I hadn't hit the bone -- I had just missed it), they cleaned the grit from the wound and stitched me up (5 stitches). It still took almost two hours from the time I got there.
The doctor turned out to know about Lemons, and is a Baja Bug off-roader. He shared some of his close calls in the garage, and we agreed that a moment's inattention can change your life.
I had cut some nerves, so I now have no feeling on the side of my index finger. They say it is unlikely that they will grow back, but it is possible. Fortunately, I still have feeling on the side facing my thumb, which is important for grasping.
I'm really pissed off that I let this happen. For one thing, I must keep it immobilized for two weeks, which prevents me from getting the Super Snipe ready for Infineon. Fortunately Spank has offered me the use of his Austin America as a backup plan. Thank you, Spank! For another, it tells me that I wasn't paying attention to what might happen.
Please, please do not let this happen to you. I am very lucky that I didn't lose my finger entirely. Stay alert to everything that might possibly go wrong, and change how you are working if there is any way your body parts might be in the way.
IOE winner in the Super Snipe -- Buttonwillow 2012
IOE winner in Super Snipe v2.0 -- Buttonwillow 2016
"Every Super Snipe in Lemons has won an IOE!"