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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[Hefty1]

A few years back I went off the trail with my homemade trail bike...thank god for a big pine tree that stopped me on a little landing about one feet down, had to be flown out by helio, made 15 mins of fame on Sac, news.
Trailbike sitting and rusting away.

Week in the hospital with broken ankle, surgery with plate and 6 screws, scrapes and cuts up and down arms and legs...and a week later the largest darkest painful purple bruse on my right back came out.

 

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[Jeff95531]

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!

So THAT'S why I can't sleep for s***...I thought it was my sciatica.

 

[Capt Nemo]

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.

Take a look at wild parsnip!

Burned by wild parsnip -- Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine -- June 1999

 

[Hefty1]

Hey Capt Nemo.........Just gotta LOVE those 49ers. Go GB!

 

[Capt Nemo]

Green Bay is a bunch of drunks with a football problem!

The only time I really care is if the Pack wins the Superbowl. Means 2 weeks of work setting up, running, and tearing down the next season kickoff party. It's murder if I have to work in GB during a game. (Union Stagehand)

 

[stefen]

As with prospecting, any hobby or other interest can be equally or more dangerous.

Hell, living life can be dangerous.

Broke all my ribs...Charlette steer plowed me into a fence post (twice)
Broken hip and dislocated knees plus untold cuts and bruises...horseback
Broke both hands and skull fracture...football
Have shot and been shot at...government
Lost front teeth...fighting
Crushed right hand...plank kickback from table saw


Oh, and caught my wife in bed with my best friend...bad dog

 

[fowledup]

The normal/usual bumps, scrapes, and bruises. However the ones that are the hardest to heal from are the bruised ego and wounded pride from knowing I don't recover from those normal/usual bumps, scrapes, and bruises near as fast as I used to.

 

[nh.nugget]

We all have our war stories, my self included. I look at it as we all passed the initiation into the gold miners club!

 

[63bkpkr]

Not only is prospecting work and hard work at that the likelihood of being damaged out there is always present, as described above. I've been skinned, scalded, scraped and worked over a few times myself even a sprained ankle or two and one nicely broken leg. "Nicely" in that the break went across and then down the bone so it did not exit the side of my leg. At the moment I broke the leg I also Severely sprained the ankle of the same leg. After I got my 85 lb pack off of me I could tell the damaged parts were swelling and the trip was over save for the hike out. I pulled the first aid kit out of the pack, downed two Tylenol with Codeine pills, waited for a half hour and then very slowly hiked back to my truck. That is when my heavy duty hiking staff came in ever so handy.

I am so very impatient to get out there again and will always want too..........................63bkpkr

If you could enlarge the picture of me you would see a significant brace on the left knee but that was damaged out where it was 'safe'!