Prospecting injuries?

[CO2]

I'm wondering if anybody here has sustained any notable injuries while prospecting. Yesterday I was walking across my dam to toss another rock on the end, and I slipped. So the tip of my little finger found itself stuck between the rock I was holding and a rock in the dam - both of which were rapidly colliding. Today that finger has a swollen display of red and purple but I can still move it just fine. Could have been a lot worse but I'm ok. Just a reminder that there are inherent risks in mining. I wonder what the old-timers' injury rate used to be.

 

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[kingskid1611]

I have seen pics of some of them with fingers, eyes and so forth missing. So I can imagine with the medical know how back then the risk was higher. Hope you recover.

 

[rodoconnor]

My Great Grand Dad lost an eye blasting and died from black lung. Education and MOSHA [ heavy handed now, I know] have helped to prevent a lot of injuries. Try to be aware of your situation at all times and don't kill yourself

 

[bug]

I also tend to slip and fall occasionally. Dang gravity at work. Worst one was a fall where my wrist landed on a branch that went in and snapped off. Hey, it kept it from bleeding! Also pokes in the eye from manzanitas and pine needles. Good Lord saved my eyes and life more than once.

 

[Jeff95531]

My last trip out I was in my usual position, head down, ***hole and elbows up and deep in a hole. As I stood up, I forgot how steep of incline I was on and just continued on over. As I fall I realize it is going to be unrecoverable and try to minimize the impending impacts coming. Only a scraped elbow and wrist...didn't even bleed that much. I thanked my guardian angel and any/all else involved as I've recovered w/o a scrape several times already this year...and I'm careful.

 

[goldenmojo]

Smashed fingers, bashed and bruised shins, ticks, brush slap back, a ten foot free fall stuffing my knee into a boulder and something snapped under my ribcage on a hike out and has been aching daily for months. Injuries? I love gold prospecting.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Couple years back I was bush walking down to a creek to sample it. A dead branch snapped back and jammed a thick splinter into the soft inner side of the elbow...right where they draw blood. Had to have surgery to get it out because it was right on top of a vein. Surgery...for a splinter...how embarrassing!

 

[Adventure_Time]

While I haven't sustained any serious Injury thankfully... I did learn the hard way that long sleeve gloves are must pretty much anywhere. I received about 20-30 small acid (might have been bacterial ??) burns up and down my forearms digging in a very suspect creek that had a lot of legacy mining history.

 

[Jeff95531]

Couple years back I was bush walking down to a creek to sample it. A dead branch snapped back and jammed a thick splinter into the soft inner side if the elbow...right where they draw blood. Had to have surgery to get it out because it was right on top of a vein. Surgery...for a splinter...how embarrassing!

First LOL of my day. Thanks Kevin!

 

[goldenIrishman]

Couple years back I was bush walking down to a creek to sample it. A dead branch snapped back and jammed a thick splinter into the soft inner side if the elbow...right where they draw blood. Had to have surgery to get it out because it was right on top of a vein. Surgery...for a splinter...how embarrassing!

Embarrassing? Yup!!! Lucky ? You bet! With some of those doctors out there they could have wanted to amputate! That was the left foot wasn't it? <doctor

I've been lucky through the years and have never been hurt WHILE PROSPECTING. Other activities? Not so much.

 

[dave wiseman]

...And for those choosing to enter an adit,tunnel or mineshaft...here's something to think about....It's sweet to dance to violins,it's delicate and rare,to dance to lutes,to dance to flutes is way beyond compare,but it is not sweet with nimble feet to dance upon the air...from The ballad of Reading Gaol..by Oscar Wilde.

 

[mikep691]

Last trip out, I started the mining day by ripping my knuckle open while starting the generator. It bled pretty good, but there's something about cold creek water that makes it all better. Well, once it's numb, it don't hurt anymore, and the bleeding stops.

 

[mytimetoshine]

Yesterday my daughter and I went out for some fun. We made all day with no incidents until the very end when I'm trying pan out our cons Ava yells hey dad I found a piece of glass. I tell her to leave it alone ND then about 10 seconds later I hear her calling for me again and she says she is bleeding..... great..no it wasn't the glass but a rock had fallen onto her hand and she had a little gash....

So I am explaining to her that it's gonna take at least 30 min to pack up all our gear to the truck so she gonna have to tuff it out for a little. I'm now running around trying to pack up in a hurry.. as I walk over a litter dirt bridge between 2 pits the ground suddenly gave way and I went down HARD! Took most of the impact on my lower hip upper but area. Cut and scraped up my hand and a rock smashed my big toe. I'm Litterally rolling around on the rocks unable to speak for about 30 seconds. Luckily no serious injury sustained do to my Ass cheek bearing the brunt of the impact! Haha. Here is a shot of our battle scars.

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Bunch of cuts, bumps, rashes, bites, bruises and stuff. Worst so far is the back from 2 weeks in a row lugging 60+ pounds a few miles and sluicing gravels, did squats at the gym the following week and ahhhh..happened about a month and a half ago and im still hurtin a little bit

 

[Jeff95531]

When I said reaching into my latest prototype sluice was like putting your arm in an angry sharks mouth, I wasn't kidding.

 

[goldenmojo]

Jeff You had it that close to the ground you could have just piled dirt over it....

 

[nh.nugget]

CO2 Did you rip a nail?

 

[CO2]

CO2 Did you rip a nail?

Nope, nail is intact. It's not that bad and I've got it taped up to the next finger so it seems to be getting better.

 

[Capt Nemo]

Humping a 175 lb 6 gal bucket of cons to the car. Yup! My back felt it!

Now I use my old skateboard for the buckets.

Major acid reflux problems from bending over while panning. On prescription strength Omprazole right now. Wonder how long till the insomnia hits me this time!

 

[Seden]

When in this shallow man made cave out at Goler, I had the ceiling come down on me once. Just missed this good size boulder by a foot and knocked to the ground by another smaller boulder. Picked myself up and was grateful for nothing more than some bruises. Another time I was walking down this small hillside to a creek in thick pile of leaves when in short order the hillside turned very steep and I slipped on the leaves and was sliding at a fast rate of speed. Went underneath a fallen tree trunk that had bowed enough that I slide under and grabbed onto it with just my right arm which stopped me but I heard a loud pop from my previously operated on shoulder. Fortunately required nothing more than a cortisone shot and exercises to fix. Then there was the time at the East Fork San Gabriel several years ago I brought a highbanker and put the 12V motorcycle batter in a backpack (thought is was a good idea at the time). Problem was when I was hiking up the steep trail out the battery shifted to one side putting all the weight on my right hip which still bothers me to this day. There is this nifty little draw before Placerita State Park that has gold. Darned if I didn't get the worst rash/blistering from some plant or bush there that to this day I don't know which one it was and my left arm bears many large scars. AU what fun! No wonder my wife thinks I'm nuts chasing the elusive gold.