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Topic: Electrickery? Electrocution ~ I should be dead in '82

Whiskey 7
Just another Earthling

Joined: 20 Jul 2001
Posts: 12939

Posted: 11-14-2008 11:38 PM

From a previous topic on Earth Wires and in sympathy with my Heart Attack story.

Clicky if you didn’t read that one

DRuM wrote:
It's scary all this electrickery.

Hmmm... I could tell you all a story. So here you go.

Years ago, read 1982, I was going through a messy divorce, 2 little kids involved. It was sad indeed. I was living at my Mum & Dads place after getting ejected from the matrimonial home (bitch). The weather, well it was a fine, well hot sunny day. Temperature about 30 degrees centigrade.

It was around midday as I recall. I had bought a new Celica months earlier (see my signature for car pictures over the years btw) and I decided before going to work at the jail (stories later on that as promised) I would vacuum my car. It didn't really need a wash. So I went down to the front yard and parked the car close enough to the house so the extension lead would easily reach the car and grabbed the vacuum cleaner, dropped it near my (near) new wheels.

Needing power of course, I went under Mum & Dad's house to grab the extension lead I have always grabbed to connect up to the vacuum cleaner. No drama, I'd done this before and it is a simple near every day chore.

As it was a warm day, I was only dressed in Stubbies shorts, bare feet of course, like Aussies do... It was so hot.... So I grabbed a extension lead from the old man's workshop. It was like 20 metres long and grey in colour (aren't they all?). I reached up and plugged the pins into the switch/socket, not caring if the switch was on or off. It was safe. I'd done ths before, so many times before.... I walked out to the car, sun blazing down, and reached down and picked up the lead from the vacuum to connect up. Again, no big deal.

Confused I was. I had 2 sets of pins/plugs, a set in both hand trying to join them together. Obviously something was wrong here .... Two male ends?? ...... What's going on? The brain rattled... OK, this wasn't going to work at all. I wasn't going to get power to the vacuum cleaner, so I walked slowly back under the house winding the extension lead up around my arm (as most of you probably do routinely). I got under the house and was about to reach up and unplug the lead from the socket when suddenly I felt a crushing sensation and the tingling of a million ants all over my (half naked) body.

The crushing sensation soon became unbearable. Tons of weight was pressing down on me, but why? I was being dragged to the floor by an irresistible force, eyes jammed shut....

I wondered for moments what the hell is going on. Is this a heart attack, a stoke. What was it? Was I dying? What was happening to me? I reasoned.... power!! I was being electrocuted. Bugger.... Why, what had I done, what was going on? More confusion than pain but the balance was changing.... Needless to say, with my eyes closed and the feeling of being overcome by this irresistible force I was think I am going to die..... I had to do something...

I tried to shake off the lead in my hand, but I was slowly pulling it into my chest I couldn't let it go, I couldn't resist.

I was DOOMED. I was DEAD.

Luckily for me my old man (Father) was home for a day or two painting his house. I was thinking ... I can't die and leave that bitch all my stuff and money.... I have to live.... I was too young to die. I thought I'll cry out. The brain reasoned.... you can't do that. You're probably not breathing. You're going to die... Again thinking I can't die and leave that bitch all my stuff, I've got to live. I made a feeble cry.... HELP. A gargle at best I thought.

Well I awoke on the damp, under house concrete floor with the extension lead entangled around me like a boa constrictor. I was in the fetal position, my hands tight against my chest and held there by my knees near under my chin. Quite a contortion. I saw my old man, and he seemed to be asking me if I was alright.

Now I'd worked in the telecommunications game after I'd left school for about 5 years and back then they taught you well. I had been taught and appreciated of dangers of the local 240 volt domestic power, the high tension and radio transmitter power/frequency stuff and by this I mean burns. When the old man asked if I was OK I thought shit I am horribly burned. I'd seen the safety films of previous victims, alive and dead. It wasn't pretty. I thought, shit my hair caught fire, my feet horribly charred to the bone... I asked my Dad, everything looking OK, do I look alright? He said yes but then I was feeling, maybe the feeling was returning, my right hand. It was numb.

I managed to glance down to see the burns on my right index finger. It was severely swollen, looking like it had exploded from within, but not too bad I was thinking. I asked my old man, any burns about my body? *For those that know, electricity can take some strange paths around and though the body, and exit points are often where you'd least expect. He then commented there were burn marks in the middle of my chest! Later I realized I'd pulled the lead and pins into my chest. Slowly coming around he said he was going to call an ambulance. No I thought, I don't need one, I'll be OK in a few minutes... Anyway I won and we greed he should at least take me to the local GP surgery (General Practitioner - READ Doctor).

We drove there in my car, it was in the drive anyway, obviously he drove. I was still half curled up anyway. He walked straight in as I hobbled like a 100 year old behind him. He mentioned to the receptionist, my son here has been electrocuted. Well that was it. I was immediately ushered into a room, and little did I know an ambulance was already called.

A few quick questions from the Doctor and the ambo's (Ambulance Officers) arrived and asked the same bloody questions. I was now on my way to the local hospital. Funny I remember asking if I could have lights and sirens. They obliged. I was quite conscious, amazing really. A little pain but still sore like I'd lifted weights nonstop for a week. I should be dead...

I was unloaded into casualty and again asked the same questions. I do remember the Doctor commenting, shit I thought some one said an electrocution, this guy is alive.... I was expecting a dead body..

Lots of photographs, tests and observations and I was on my way to a ward. Well two weeks and a small skin graft later my trigger finger was near as good as new.

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Massive Quasars
.

Joined: 15 Dec 2000
Posts: 10168

Posted: 11-15-2008 01:20 AM

Australia is the wild west of freak accidents.

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MKJ
Messatsu Ko Jy-ouu

Joined: 24 Nov 2000
Posts: 44139

Posted: 11-15-2008 09:54 AM

tldr

you were shocked by an outlet. welcome to the club.

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obsidian
I'm the dude!

Joined: 04 Feb 2002
Posts: 12498

Posted: 11-15-2008 10:06 AM

I've been electrocuted while removing an electrical socket from the wall for painting. Stupid, really.

A curious sensation of being strangely numb all over yet no real pain, I remember thinking, "well, that feels odd." It took me a few seconds (or what seemed like it) to realize, "oh shit, I'm being electrocuted!", and actually pulling away. Luckily, no harm done.

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Whiskey 7
Just another Earthling

Joined: 20 Jul 2001
Posts: 12939

Posted: 11-15-2008 12:34 PM

obsidian wrote:
I've been electrocuted while removing an electrical socket from the wall for painting. Stupid, really.

A curious sensation of being strangely numb all over yet no real pain, I remember thinking, "well, that feels odd." It took me a few seconds (or what seemed like it) to realize, "oh shit, I'm being electrocuted!", and actually pulling away. Luckily, no harm done.

Yes that's right obsidian. The strangely numb all over yet no real pain is spot on. You were lucky to get thrown off. I latched on and if the old man wasn't home and heard my death scream they recon it would have been found hours later still connected. Goodness know what the might have seen. A charred body I'd think

I learned too that they call those extension leads made just like my Father had done for his workshop, dead man leads, cause if you grab it you're dead.

Anyone else been close to an electrical death? Do tell

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losCHUNK
Truffle Shuffle

Joined: 08 May 2002
Posts: 17167

Posted: 11-15-2008 12:57 PM

thats harsh man.

when i was about 15 i had an extension lead for my playstation, the socket was smashed but it worked so long as you plugged it in switched off... one day i forgot to turn the switch off when i went to fiddle with the 2 prongs to put the plug in and my arms went numb but tense, got it spot on when your brain starts going "wtf is that ?, holy shit im being electrocuted", as i was squatting, i just remember putting all my power into both legs to kick out and ended up flying across the room and headbutting the radiator. didnt end up in hospital or shit though, just remember that day i gained an even greater respect for electricity and my stupidy around it.

my mate was there, he said it looked like i was taking a shit and started laughing..... cunt

dont go playing on gamblers after getting out a swimming pool either

edit: there was a guy round my area a few weeks back who got killed stripping copper cable off the power exchange

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Tsakali
opa!

Joined: 02 Mar 2000
Posts: 14658

Posted: 11-15-2008 02:28 PM

fyi stories may vary from nuisance (110v) to downright dangerous (220v +)

so while reading/ telling your story keep your geographical location in mind

I've been shocked by U.S. standard socket plenty of times and it's laughable , that's why I hardly have any respect towards small electrical work around the house... but i should remember not to carry this attitude when giving europeans advice lol!

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bork[e]
The Borked One

Joined: 23 Mar 2004
Posts: 4708

Posted: 11-15-2008 05:14 PM

Whiskey 7 wrote:

Again thinking I can't die and leave that bitch all my stuff,

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MKJ
Messatsu Ko Jy-ouu

Joined: 24 Nov 2000
Posts: 44139

Posted: 11-16-2008 01:00 AM

Tsakali wrote:
fyi stories may vary from nuisance (110v) to downright dangerous (220v +)

so while reading/ telling your story keep your geographical location in mind

I've been shocked by U.S. standard socket plenty of times and it's laughable , that's why I hardly have any respect towards small electrical work around the house... but i should remember not to carry this attitude when giving europeans advice lol!

oh, right, 220 then. numerous times, cant really pinpoint cept for a few instances.

once because i made the classic mistake of thinking flipping the lightswitch was enough.
well the lamp did come down, record speed, rofl.

one other time by a vacuum. half of the plug was missing (no idea why now i think on it) but stubborn as I am I just wanted to see if it'd still work. it did :[

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l0g1c
Don't be koi

Joined: 06 May 2002
Posts: 2693

Posted: 11-16-2008 01:24 AM

Why on God's green earth would someone make an extension cord with two male ends?

I've been shocked a couple of times. Once when I had my hand around the metal casing on the front of a shoddy drill and another time when I was reaching under a lampshade to see if there was a bulb in the lamp. It was plugged in and switched on, and it turns out there wasn't a bulb in the socket I stuck my finger in.

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Ryoki
Karot!

Joined: 31 Jul 2001
Posts: 19348

Posted: 11-16-2008 08:31 AM

Only been zapped once by 220, thought it was an unpleasant, frightening & painful experience.

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Whiskey 7
Just another Earthling

Joined: 20 Jul 2001
Posts: 12939

Posted: 11-17-2008 12:46 AM

l0g1c wrote:
Why on God's green earth would someone make an extension cord with two male ends?

Hmm... Yes I thought same at the time..

Workshop stuff and old men.... He had made a (power) board up, with outlets wired in parallel so if you plugged the pins in to a socket (and then turned on the juice) all the sockets would be available..

A suicide lead really

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Peenyuh
Madman Philosophy

Joined: 02 Jan 2008
Posts: 3782

Posted: 11-17-2008 01:53 AM

l0g1c wrote:
... and another time when I was reaching under a lampshade to see if there was a bulb in the lamp. It was plugged in and switched on, and it turns out there wasn't a bulb in the socket I stuck my finger in.

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Quake3World.com | Forum Index | General Discussion

Australia is the wild west of freak accidents.

tldryou were shocked by an outlet. welcome to the club.

Whiskey 7 wrote:Again thinking I can't die and leave that bitch all my stuff,

Only been zapped once by 220, thought it was an unpleasant, frightening & painful experience.

l0g1c wrote:... and another time when I was reaching under a lampshade to see if there was a bulb in the lamp. It was plugged in and switched on, and it turns out there wasn't a bulb in the socket I stuck my finger in.

tldr

you were shocked by an outlet. welcome to the club.

Whiskey 7 wrote:

Again thinking I can't die and leave that bitch all my stuff,

l0g1c wrote:
... and another time when I was reaching under a lampshade to see if there was a bulb in the lamp. It was plugged in and switched on, and it turns out there wasn't a bulb in the socket I stuck my finger in.