Stupid injuries

[absolutbill]

Ok, I'll chime in with 2, since I have no shame

Number 1 happened while in college - we went on a month-long field trip to California and we had a Saturday morning free from classes so my husband (then boyfriend) and I rented bicycles with a friend. The three of us were pedaling along and they were in front of me. I watched them both jump their bikes up the curb after crossing the street, and it looked easy so I decided to do it too. Missed the curb, flew over the handles of the bike and skinned 2 knees and an elbow. There was a pickup truck at the stop street so they saw the entire thing too - talk about embarrassing!

Number 2 happened a few years ago. We had rescued our boxer and were trying different methods of introducing her to our cats. They both had claws and the dog has a massive underbite so we weren't too worried about an unfair fight. I decided what we would do is I would hold the cat and my husband would have the dog on a leash. I would sit in the chair and he would slowly bring the dog forward. Well, the cat wanted no part of this, and climbed up my face, using my ear as a spring board. Remember I said she has claws? She ripped open my ear and I had to go to the ER. If that wasn't bad enough (and boy did I feel dumb), there was a nurse there writing a book who wanted to talk to me so that she could include this in her book!

 

[kanjiman]

It is ok, cause I love you. A while ago everyone here got a real kick out of me falling in the hole we were planting a lilac tree in, then pulling the tree in on top of me. Really hurt my left ankle but got no sympathy.

oh no! poor you! at least it was only an ankle injury though.. coulda bene much worse.

 

[Elizadolots]

Okay, both of these are many years ago.

After my sister's first wedding in Lake Tahoe, we were walking to the reception through the snow, I slipped and face planted. I couldn't catch myself because I was holding expensive camera equipment in my hands. I kept them out of the snow!! My soon to be husband--the photographer-- documented the face plant with a photo in the wedding album.

A year or so later at work I was having trouble working the time clock to shift between departments. In frustration I banged my head against the wall, completely forgetting the "emergency escape route" poster that was stuck the wall with a push pin....later, while I was completing the accident report my boss came to me and asked "Let me get this straight: you, the head of the safety committee, hurt your head on a safety poster?"

 

[kokom05lb]

Well this was back in 2004 when I was in basic training. It was in the middle of January beginning of February, Fort Leanord Wood, Missouri. There was snow on the ground and we were getting ready to run in for breakfast chow. I ran in not knowing that there was a patch of ice on the ground. Hit the concrete and drill sergent laughed at me and everything. Had a nice size lump on my right hip.

 

[pssh]

When I was really little (2 or 3) I jumped off a stoll and landed face first on the tiles in my house. I ended up messing up my front teeth and the doctor said I might have to get braces when I'm older because I apparently messed up the adult teeth too! 5 years of braces! I dont know that I was too embarassed about it though.

 

[Carlton]

You know, I'd share some of my more stupid injuries but there's been so many they are sort of one big blur...

There was the time I had set a box trap for a vole and caught a weasel instead. I couldn't actually see what was in the box, but assumed it was a vole. Stuck a plastic baggie over the door, reached in to latch the door open and shake the vole into the bag, and this weasel attacked my hand immediately. Blood everywhere and a 2 hour boat ride to a doctor. Then it leaped out of the trap, landed on my lap and cussed me out thoroughly before running away. I was terrified!

As for most embarrassing public moment, this one always comes to mind:

I was in agency uniform, going out on the Snake River with a park ranger. The ranger picked me and our inboard motorboat up at the maintenance yard, did a very quick look over the trailer and boat, hitched it to the truck (boat and truck had RANGER PATROL printed all over them), and then we drove 50 miles to the boat launch upstream of a hydropower dam. No problems. We turned down the access road to the public launch where 5 or 6 guys were waiting to launch their bass boats. Suddenly the truck began lugging and lurching. Startled, I looked around and in the rear mirror just in time to see our boat finish its slide off the back of the trailer and start dragging on the pavement behind it attached by the bow line. Of course we stopped immediately but now we were stuck in the middle of the road with a boat we couldn't move and in full view of the entire boat launch area. The dam operators could also see us in their live video security camera. The bass fishermen were silently staring. They had that rigid posture that meant they couldn't believe what they just saw two public servants do. We could do nothing but wave at the dam (da!n) camera and wait for someone to arrive with a crane to set our boat back on its trailer again. The lady ranger was in tears. All I wanted to do was crawl under the nearest rock at the bottom of the river.