Dumptruck accident

[Hoeman00]

Last Monday nite Dad was cleaning the hardened asphalt off the inside of the tailgate w/ bed raised up.
This was after dark and he was using on of the 'weedburner torches' to soften the asphalt plus noone knew he was out there.
A couple hours earlier he was in bed trying to get a couple of large chunks out (100#+) and couldn't move them.
I was setting in the living room watching TV and noticed some twinkling lites in mirror (red and white) so I went to door to see what was happening.
After opening door I saw emergency lites and a woman running to the house and saying someone was really hurt bad.
I grabbed boots and ran down to the truck parking area beside driveway.
I saw Dad's car there and him laying behind it w/ his boot at a 90 degree angle to his calf and lots of blood.
The neighbor is a firefighter and they heard his moans and luckily came and checked.
He had his radio and called for the squad direct.
I checked the scene and ran up to my truck and got my trauma kit and returned to cut his pants and boot off.
I'm a first responder and firefighter where I work so the training does come in handy.
Part of his jeans were pushed into the wound so the ambulance showed then and we left the piece in the there to slow down bleeding.
He had one of the chunks come out and took his foot under the tailgate, this is a 22' long dumpbed.
Compound fracture and near amputation!
He was in process of trying to crawl to his car or the house (100 yds away).
We vacuum splinted the leg and sent him to the hospital where he was transfered to a Lifeflight chopper to go to a large trauma center.
He spent 4 or so hours in surgery to reattach part of it.
He lost the front 2 tendons that lift the front of your foot and gets a 'halo' brace put on for up to 6 months.
Friday the docors said the skin isn't attaching properly so 2 more weeks in hospital and skin graphs.
He owns a small trucking company and an excavating business too, so now I have plenty of work w/ his jobs, my excavating jobs and my factory job (the boss said take what ever time I need ).
Needless to say but everyone around here is very shocked at this and I get lots of people asking what happened.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Sorry to hear about that. Hope he heals up okay.

Steve

 

[MikePA]

Tim, my sympathies and prayers that your dad has a complete recovery. Sounds like things will be kind of busy for you and yours for the next couple of months.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Terribly sorry to hear of your dad's accident. Our hopes and prayers go out to you that he will make a full recovery.
DaveL

 

[Bird]

Sorry to hear that happened to you dad; I wish both of you the best for a rapid recovery.

 

[cmsedore]

Sorry to hear of the accident, my thoughts and prayers to you and your dad.

-Chris

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Horrific event for both you and your Dad to have to go through. I have a decent idea about how you must be feeling right now. Several years ago I heard a huge crash and looked out the window to see my Wife's car demolished up against a tree in our front lawn. She was struck from behind, driven across traffic, and then broadsided by another oncoming car. Luckily she escaped serious injury (although she was plagued with back and leg pain for 3 - 4 years). I am an officer on the local police department and it affected me when responding to other accidents for a long time after.

Best wishes to you and your Dad, hope he comes through it all right.

 

[MossRoad]

Wow, Tim. He's lucky your neighbor and you have some training. My thoughts are with you and yours.

David G.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Tim my thoughts are with you and your dad, This being spring all the paving companies are working and my freind was injured last week when the new Aluminum framless dump trailer failed, The doghouse broke and the cylinder went through it and the trailer fell, He was infront of the windrow loader and when the house broke the loader pushed the tralers tandems over the center point. The load pulled the tandem axles over the trucks tandems and the center of the be was over the truck. There was a first responder there passing but he wouldnt let my freinds co worker rake the asphault off the cab. THey finally got him back and they tokk shovels and dug out the door. My freind has a broken shoulder and both legs and a few minor burns, It totalled the new Western Star. THe only thing that kept the cab from completely mashing was the headache rack, it was bent in the webbing but the 2 uprights held good enough to break the trailers spine. THe trailers manufatcuter says it was a bad weld that coused it and are planning on settling out of court. They called me to take a truck crane to remove the wreck. I couldnt beleive they got him out alive. The dump ed can be dangerous when dad was 20 his boss and son were working on a raised dump bed and the cylinder blew out and came in on the father. Larry took the only thing around a dragline and pulled the bed off his dad which fell again the second time he pulled his dad from the frame and he later died from the injury. again you have my condolences. Taylor

 

[hosejockey2002]

Hoeman- I very nearly had exactly the same thing happen to me. I had a 300 or so pound glob of asphalt stuck in the tandem I was driving at the time. Me and another guy tried to get it out- him with a weedburner torch and me with a shovel trying to pry the glob out. When the glob got hot enough, it instantly slid down the bed a million miles an hour. I got out of the way just in time. I am very sorry for your dad's accident and I hope he recovers fully. I feel very fortunate the same thing didn't happen to me. All of these big toys we play with have so many ways to kill or maim us if we let our guard for just a second.