# What's the highest distance you've fallen from?



## 480sparky

This was brought up at work yesterday, and though it would make a good poll.


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## Inner10

I did the ladder ballet while standing ontop a 6 footer on one of my first days working when I was 18. I jumped off and landed on my feet as it went down, hurt my legs like hell but broke nothing. Had a few close calls roofing but always managed to stop myself by stabbing the claws of my hammer through something on the way down.


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## 480sparky

I went down from the 8th step of a 10-footer.


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## jlsconstruction

Roofing back in my teens I stepped on some bad sheathing and went through it into the attic, through the drywall and landed in the kitchen right next the the homeowners eating breakfast.


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## Inner10

jlsconstruction said:


> Roofing back in my teens I stepped on some bad sheathing and went through it into the attic, through the drywall and landed in the kitchen right next the the homeowners eating breakfast.


That's it...you win the $10,000.

Did they pour you a cup of coffee? :laughing:


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## jlsconstruction

Inner10 said:


> That's it...you win the $10,000.
> 
> Did they pour you a cup of coffee? :laughing:


No, but they took me destroying the kitchen pretty well :laughing:

That hurt though, not so much the fall, but I had cuts on my whole body from the top of my boots to my head


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## Driftweed

Why I dont go up anymore:

16 yrs old, helping a co worker do her roof. Was carrying a bundle up (2 story house). Get eye level with where the gutter would be, and the slide mechanism fails. Tangled my legs up pretty good as my feet went through the rungs. 

Still cant use a sliding extension ladder to this day, almost 20 yrs later. Although, i do try from time to time.


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## fourcornerhome

Had the ladder kick out on an asphalt driveway just as I got on from the roof. Client had moved it onto wet leaves Was up and down all morning carrying shingles without a problem before that.


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## tgeb

I stepped off the tailgate of my dump truck accidently, that was about 8' above the hard ground, landed on my side, nothing broken, but it took me a good 30 minutes or so before I felt well enough to drive.


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## Creter

'97 - Dropped about 8 foot onto slag concrete from pumping the foundation walls the day before.

Scaffold was erroneously set up like a see saw. Everybody was climbing down as I stayed to get an inside corner out. Turned to head towards the ladder and gone baby gone. 

Quickest ride of my life. Broke my back as a result of it.


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## ohiohomedoctor

I have fallen a few times. Once off a single story roof we were putting cedar shingles on I Greenwich Ct. That time I was saved by jumping at the last second and riding a young pine tree to the ground. Cut myself up pretty good being shirtless but otherwise unharmed and went right back to work.

The next time I was working in a huge attic in a large estate. I was insulating thermal walls and had been working in this space all day. Proverbial last 2" nail was hit poorly and bounced backwards towards the other side of the space which was filled with white fluffy blow in insulation. Since the rest of the day I had been walking on 7/16 sheeting I foolishly went trotting towards the spot the nail landed. By the time I discovered the sheeting didn't run all the way I was laying on the clients very expensive very nice and soft bed. The look on his face was priceless when made the walk of shame from his corridor when obviously I should have been coming from the stairs. Again for the most part uninjured with exception of my ego.


Last time was chipping brick off an addition we built last sumer. Bulldog bounced, I lost my balance and jumped off the ladder falling about 15'. Landed on my feet in a bed of pea gravel. Other than not jogging for a few days I was uninjured. This time shook me however because I landed right next to a uncapped piece of rebar which would have left me singing soprano till my death. Will never have another uncapped rebar on a job ever.


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## ohiohomedoctor

Now some I have witnessed. My brother bumped a 5gal bucket off a 4' ladder they were standing on. Jumped off the ladder, caught the bucket, hit the ground super man style with the bucket sending a blob straight up in the air and straight back into the bucket with no spills onto the freshly laid carpet. That was an amazing taking one for the team effort on his part.

In highschool I watched this hot head framer in Jewitt City Ct jumped off a 6' ladder to go and yell at someone. He had his worn down air gun set to bump fire in his hand and when he landed the force took the safety back and fired a nail which stuck into his chest. That was ironically funny because of the kind of guy he was.

I have more but I have to go mow and decorate for a bday party..


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## Creter

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Will never have another uncapped rebar on a job ever.


Public works in my area are great about flagging new sections of poured sidewalk but terrible about capping their rebar. My OCD nearly has me stop and cap these things as I worry about the kids on the boards and bikes.


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## Frank5

Working on a three story house on the double trex deck. I was going up the latter to the third story deck when the ladder slipped out from underneath me. I tried holding on to the top deck and trying to get my legs up on the deck, but I couldn't hold on. I ended up falling backwards and was headed to landing on my neck. I tried flipping myself over and sticking my arm out to flip over to my stomach. I completely shattered my arm left arm I stuck out first. Then ended up catching myself with my right arm which got jammed up pretty good. Add a split chin and split open toe to that and it makes for a pretty fun day. 

After I fell they measured the distance, little over 19 feet. Now every time a ladder starts to slide a little my butthole puckers.


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## txgencon

Slid off a section of roof that was over a 12' ceiling - so about 11'. Landed on a small pile of brush.

My father-in-law was an iron worker. One time he fell off the 38th floor. After that, he was more careful.


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## ohiohomedoctor

txgencon said:


> Slid off a section of roof that was over a 12' ceiling - so about 11'. Landed on a small pile of brush.
> 
> My father-in-law was an iron worker. One time he fell off the 38th floor. After that, he was more careful.


Might be a winner in the survivors category...


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## Kent Whitten

10' to a concrete slab. I used all the swear words multiple times :laughing:

Local pastor was helping fix up his sons place for the wedding reception. Climbed up the ladder to the 2nd floor eaves to do something...clean gutters...don't know. Ladder was too straight and to the side he went hanging onto the ladder. 

That would have been bad enough had it not been for the brick chimney they dismantled a few weeks back. Guess where he landed?


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## Chad McDade

Worst fall I ever had happened about twenty tears ago, it was from about 20 feet onto concrete - we were pouring walls at an industrial facility; I was on top the wall forms running the pumper hose when the form blew out. Broke my right ankle, took a chip out of my elbow, and screwed my back up My buddies father in law was a bridge painter, he fell 60 some feet from an overpass into the median below him and was laid up in the hospital for about two months.


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## Warren

Hanging drywall in an upstairs hall adjacent to the open foyer. Must have stepped right off of the bench and fell down to the foyer. Apparently my head hit first and I had a short seizure and stopped breathing. No broken bones or any long term damage.


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## overanalyze

Fell off an antennae tower at my own home about 12' flat on my back on frozen ground. Got the wind knocked out of me and two fractured vertebrae.

Road an extension ladder down anout 14'. The ground was a little frozen and slimy. Got to the top and the bottom kicked out. I road it all the way down and the bounced (so my partner says). Still have a dent in my shinn from one of the ladder rungs when I hit. I put a metal stake on any questionable ground now.


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## overanalyze

Warren said:


> Hanging drywall in an upstairs hall adjacent to the open foyer. Must have stepped right off of the bench and fell down to the foyer. Apparently my head hit first and I had a short seizure and stopped breathing. No broken bones or any long term damage.


Well so they say no long term damage..scary stuff! I find myself more and more safety aware as I age.


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## Golden view

Just a couple days ago rode an extension ladder down as the bottom kicked out. Rode it down like a bad ass, shipped my pants like not so much of one.


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## Tylerwalker32

Taken a couple. I was on a five gallon buck on a slope, bucket kicked out broke my arm, I was about 12. 
Just last year I was on a walk board about 15' up and I leaned toward the house to push in on the framing gun and the ladders kicked out and sent me flying. Still have gotten back to being ok with heights.


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## rrk

Warren said:


> Apparently my head hit first. No long term damage.


Your wife or employees may have a different opinion:laughing:

I was on an old 10' magnesium step ladder in a school gym next to top step, turned my body to reach for something and the ladder twisted and collapsed like it was made out of cardboard


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## Wood O-K

Got knocked of the top of a nine foot wall by a boom operator who was placing floor trusses on top of the walls. The guys name was "Flip"
Go Figure.

The worst on by far was standing on top of a sawhorse eying up fascia on a porch roof. Guess I didn't have the horse set on a good footing, slipped off tried to hold on to the fascia and ended up dislocating my shoulder and breaking 20% of the shoulder socket off.


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## txgencon

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Might be a winner in the survivors category...


I forgot to mention that he landed on the 37th floor.


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## blacktop

Almost 30 years in drywall ...No falls did I jinks myself??:sad::blink:


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## Warren

blacktop said:


> Almost 30 years in drywall ...No falls did I jinks myself??:sad::blink:


30 years in construction, with about 18 months of drywall experience. My only two trips to the ER were during drywall installation.


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## Dirtywhiteboy

Went down hard in '98 14 months out of work, lucky i lived:blink: It was about 26 feet to the slab, some scaffolding broke my fall. Lucky thing i would have been a goner.


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## CITY DECKS INC

Inner10 said:


> That's it...you win the $10,000.
> 
> Did they pour you a cup of coffee? :laughing:


That's fkn awesome...


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## EmmCeeDee

I was standing on the top of a 12' ladder (I know) and the tree limb I was cutting (I know) kicked back and knocked me off.

Realizing I was going down, I had the presence of mind to turn and try and pick where I wanted to go. I landed on my feet on a spot of spongy ground, leaving a pair of 1" deep footprints. With the exception of a bruise on my leg from where the limb hit me nothing even hurt the next day.

The entire way down I was thinking "You dumbass!" to myself. I got lucky. It should have been alot worse.


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## CITY DECKS INC

CITY DECKS INC said:


> That's fkn awesome...


Not bragging or topping anyone. Just greatfull that I had minor injuries when I fell 3 stories and walked. Tore my right thumb off to the point of it hanging on by about1/2" of skin and cracked my right cheek. Landed on my feet after working my through the scaffolding stood up checked my self for injuries saw my thumb dangling had a co worker help me take off my rig and drove me to er from there went to U of Penn trauma had the put back on. A week later went back to have the dented cheek poped back in place. Back to work and Mt biking about 4-5-weeks later. Light duty for about month because I kept thinking my thumb would fall off or tear it off. 
by week 100% .


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## Morning Wood

6' feet maybe. Ladder slid out on me. It was on advantech with nothing backing it. Slippery stuff.


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## mski

Fell from a ladder last year. It was a little giant type ladder. 
Had it set up in an 8' a-frame and was painting an old porch soffit. Didnt notice the one leg was on a concrete porch set (the step was only 3" high) because most of the ladder was over the step and I was leaning towards the porch.
When it was time to move the ladder I stepped down and backed into the house (ladder still didnt move) so I went up and over the ladder. As I made it to the top to cross over the ladder it moved. It was like in slow motion. 
The ladder started to tip, I looked down and did the old WTF?, and then started to ride out the fall with a paint brush in one hand and a paint pail (just about empty) in the other. Ended up landing on my side and shoulder. Didnt drop the brush and only a bit of paint spilled out of the pail. (it's like falling when drinking, for some reason the drink never gets spilled)
It's surprising how such a small fall scares you. Especially since I've never fallen from anything in 20+ years in the business.
The thing that was hurt was my pride.


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## EthanB

The only big fall I've had was about 15' from some scaffolding into theater seating. Luckily I landed on my feet between the rows. I was 16 at the time so no serious harm done.

The last time I tried hopping an extension ladder was over a decade ago and I got to ride it about 10' down the siding and spend some quality time patching the grooves. I'm pretty damn thorough about tying off ladders and using harnesses now.


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## rselectric1

I voted on the poll according to my highest fall. About 10 feet.

My famous fall of 2010 which put me out of commission for about a year was only about 4 feet. You guys that have been here awhile probably remember it and I will forever be grateful for your help.:thumbsup: (They boys here got a fund going and paid over 2 months of my mortgage for me. WOW! and yes it's TRUE.

It was about a 4 foot fall while assembling a scaffold over a stairway. Somehow one foot tried to break the fall of the other and completely shattered my right leg below the knee. The injury was bad enough that I was facing a possible amputation.

As I was laying in the ER waiting for a DR, I created a thread. CT knew what was up before my then wife.

So my highest fall was about 10', but the most destructive was less than 4'


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## EthanB

Isn't that the way sometimes. My most destructive fall was walking UP a flight of stairs. I caught my toe and had wood in my hands so I managed to split a finger bone and permanently damage my left wrist.


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## loneframer

Went out one night about 25 years ago, with my roomy and a guy I grew up with. Drank way too much that night and when my buddy dropped us off, I was racing to the second floor bathroom when I toe hooked the third tread and fell up the next 12 rises and ended up flat on my face on the second floor. Still not sure how that happened...:blink:


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## jlsconstruction

loneframer said:


> Went out one night about 25 years ago, with my roomy and a guy I grew up with. Drank way too much that night and when my buddy dropped us off, I was racing to the second floor bathroom when I toe hooked the third tread and fell up the next 12 rises and ended up flat on my face on the second floor. Still not sure how that happened...:blink:


So what's the farthest you've fallen down :laughing:


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## Youngin'

When I was 16 I tried to shimmy off the top of a cargo container that was 10 ft tall. Just as I let go a metal hook or something caught my pants and my weight shifted all toward my left. I landed but with all that weight being absorbed through my left knee and I felt something inside rip. I later found out it was a tendon. 6 years later and it still sometimes bothers me. I don't know if that really counts as a fall so much as botched jump.


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## A&E Exteriors

Does riding about 25-30 oak treads down on your tailbone count?


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## Warren

A&E Exteriors said:


> Does riding about 25-30 oak treads down on your tailbone count?


I don't think so. I was helping someone move a washer once from a second floor laundry room. They ratchet strapped it to a dolly and I was gonna help lead it down the stairs. I was on the top step with my back facing downstairs. As soon as the dolly hit the first step, the strap popped loose and the washer came off of the dolly. I slid backwards, on my feet, down at least a dozen treads with the washer pushing me the whole way. As I hit the first floor, I dove sideways so that the washer wouldn't pin me to the wall. No damage to me or the washer.


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## hdavis

Two between 15' and 19', no injuries. Got banged up on a 5' fall - foot slipped coming down a ladder in the rain, hooked through and spun me upside down. My head was going right for a concrete curb, but I got my arm out. Scraped up, sore, nothing broken.

Scariest non-fall was on a 12-12 roof on a hot day - started surfing down standing up. I was just checking it out, so no protection, no hammer. Managed to reach out and grab the shingles on a dormer drip edge with my finger tips. Had a great view of the picket fence waiting for me, and couldn't move.


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## AndyWRS

Mines was 4' or so feet back in the late 90's. One of our crews didnt plastic his roof so the boss, myself and the sales rep went to do it in the dark while it was drizzling. I leaned over a bit too far to put a round cap in at the ridge and i stood on the plastic. Took a ride down the 4/12 pitch, off the edge and thru the customers fiberglass lean too shed and onto the block wall between the homes. Probably lucky i didnt get hurt or cut, the wall kept me from falling more than a 4' and i guess i was lucky.

Thanked my tear off guy for pulling all the nails, that would have been painful to catch a few nails sliding down the pitch.

Dont stand on wet plastic!


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## CrpntrFrk

Warren said:


> I don't think so. I was helping someone move a washer once from a second floor laundry room. They ratchet strapped it to a dolly and I was gonna help lead it down the stairs. I was on the top step with my back facing downstairs. As soon as the dolly hit the first step, the strap popped loose and the washer came off of the dolly. I slid backwards, on my feet, down at least a dozen treads with the washer pushing me the whole way. As I hit the first floor, I dove sideways so that the washer wouldn't pin me to the wall. No damage to me or the washer.


Happen to one of the guys I work with only replace that washer with a gun safe and you have the situation.....He came out ok but the dolly wasn't so lucky. New musical note was discovered ....EEK FLAT. Wish I had taken a picture of the dolly.


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## Builderbob 72

Snapping lines on a two story re-roof. Walked backwards right off the middle of the eave. Lead was yelling at me for dropping the line before he looked up and realized that there was no one holding it. 2" deep footprints in the plant bed. I was amazed with how fast it happened and that I landed on two feet, uninjured.


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## Calidecks

I fell from a 6' ladder with a framing nailer in my hand, broke my arm, I now have 3 plates 12 screws and part of my hip in my wrist. It took a full year before I was back at it. I still only have 60% of strength in my right hand. Good thing I am left handed.


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## Metro M & L

Californiadecks said:


> I fell from a 6' ladder with a framing nailer in my hand, broke my arm, I now have 3 plates 12 screws and part of my hip in my wrist. It took a full year before I was back at it. I still only have 60% of strength in my right hand. Good thing I am left handed.


This is exactly why I'm on my guys about being aware and being cautious. You can get f'd up doing what you think is rinky dink stuff.


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## jlsconstruction

I did have a bad snowboard crash when I was 16 (kinda blocked it out) I was doing about 50 mph off a kicker and started my rotation a milisecond to soon and caught an edge. Fell about 15 feet on my face. Knocked me out for ever an hour. They air lifted me and everything, but it ended up just a concussion, and I lost most of the skin on my face from skidding across the ice. A month later I was back on the mountain


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## chewy

I was about 6ft up on an 8ft ladder and working in a parking basement. A labrador was moving a pallet stacked with computer floor tiles up the ramp and turned the jack suddenly to stop, the tiles kept going and paid out like a vegas dealer sliding over the first and took my ladder out from under me, I landed on my feet and got those taken out from me and got the last of them in the face missing my teeth. Ended up with lines of bruises on my shins and arms and a cut chin and 2 black eyes. Each tile is about 50lbs of steel and concrete, I got lucky that day.


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## bdoles

A few years back I fell from the top landing while trying to unlock the door. Fell flat on my back.

I guess the 2 rusted 16d's holding the stairs to the garage weren't enough.


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## TimelessQuality

My (ex) sparky fell 9' off an 8' step ladder last week:laughing:

Freakin idiot... real lucky though, just cracked a rib and a wrist...

Set me back a day though.


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## PatChap

Have never fallen off a roof, but once had a ladder kick out right after I untied it, luckily it only slid about 1a foot back before catching again or I would have been a goner, was 35' up on a 40' ladder. Took the next few days off, had to buy new pants.


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## TAHomeRepairs

Eight years old I fell about twenty feet out of a Norfolk pine, broke my arm in two places. Ever since i'm very cautious, and do my best not to go as high as my ladder reaches. Ground level is usually best...


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## superseal

Knock on wood with all the heights I've worked, my only fall was from a set of old reconfigured cellar steps and a mix of wet boots on a winter day.

Went from the top step ass first to the bottom and knocked myself out for a split second. When I awoke, I had a wicked raspberry abrasion where my head brushed along a random rubble foundation. 

It bruised my ego more than anything else I suppose, but it sure was an eye opener for stair safety.

PS. soon after this happened to me, a good friend and neighbor lost his life to his own cellar steps in a incident which broke his neck. 

I actually believe short ladders and steps are more dangerous than the taller ones. 

Complacency breeds contempt I suppose.


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## loneframer

jlsconstruction said:


> So what's the farthest you've fallen down :laughing:


Wasn't very far, but I get style points for this one.lol
When I was 17, working for my dad. Pealing an asphalt over cedar shake roof...
The home had a relatively flat roof over the front porch, which we had a layer of plywood over to protect it from falling debris. We had a set of horses set up with a spruce walkboard stretched across them which we had used to remove the gutter at the second floor.

Pop was up at the ridge and I was on my way up, one foot on the roof and the other on an extension ladder. The ladder kicked out and I went down, belly-flop on the plank with my left foot through the extension ladder. Pop heard the racket of me getting tangled up in the ladder and hit the walk plank a split second after I did, figuring I had gone all the way to the sidewalk.

The plank bottomed out and recoiled up when he side-stepped off of it, basically causing another belly-flop for me.:laughing:

It's funny now, but at the time it wasn't funny. Sprained my ankle pretty bad and had the wind knocked out of me twice in a matter of several seconds.

Dad was good though.:whistling He gave me a few minutes to get my bearings and then gave me the option of sitting in the truck for the next 5 hours or tightening up my boots and going back on the roof....figured the roof was where the money was...:laughing:


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## WarnerConstInc.

I fell from heaven....


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## SAW.co

About 12' I was cutting in a window on a remodel a few years back.

I knew better than to over extend my reach and at the same time I didn't want to reset my latter. 

Thats ware this story goes down hill, Literally.:whistling

Dislocated left shoulder that still hurts on a cold morning.


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## overanalyze

WarnerConstInc. said:


> I fell from heaven....


Oh my.....


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## Calidecks

WarnerConstInc. said:


> I fell from heaven....


You were thrown out of heaven


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