Electrickery? Electrocution ~ I should be dead in '82
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 7:38 am
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.
