Bolt Cutters should come with warnings!!

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Actually, I should pay better attention to safety. :( I was cutting a 9 ga wire homemade gate thats 12 ft tall with a pair of extra large & heavy bolt cutters. I was on an 8' step ladder and when I got down I left the cutters on the top. Somehow I bumped the ladder just enough to flip the bolt cutters off and right down on my bare foot! Ouch!!!!!!! Well I now have one broken toe and a toenail that will probably need to be removed since it is barely attached. The toe is totally bruised but warm so I think it's OK. The sound was the worst part when I reset it-crunchy grinding. I knew the doctors wouldn't do anything different so I set it with a couple of shortened popsicle sticks & medical tape. Looks quite impressive!! Funny thing though, it doesn't hurt unless I put pressure on it. I'm lucky it wasn't worse if those cutters had come down with the sharp points it would have put a couple of large holes in the top of my foot. Since this is the season for projects, be careful and don't leave things on top of step ladders. So how's your day going? LOL

-- Kathy (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), October 21, 2002

Answers

OUCH ! ! ! !! your right about the Doc's,, they wouldnt do anything more. Bolt cutters DO come with a warning on them,, sharp edge,, dont put fingers inbetween and such. But,,, as too, being a heavy object so dont drop on bare feet,,,,,,

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), October 21, 2002.

Make sure that you check the blood flow to the tip of that toe ever so often, to ensure that your bandage is not too tight, especially since you said the pain response was dimished in that toe. Guess you are aware that the main blood vessels and nerves run on the sides of toes and fingers, not the top and bottom.

-- BC (desertdewller@yahoo.com), October 21, 2002.

Kathy,

I suspect tomorrow or the next day you are going to *find* that toe. It IS going to get sore and it IS going to hurt! Sorry.

-- Granny Hen (cluckin along@cs.com), October 21, 2002.


If there is blood under the nail, use a needle to put a burr hole int it. And what in the heck were you doing out there barefoot?

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), October 22, 2002.

Kathy - If we start seeing new warning labels on fencing pliers - "Please do not attempt to operate barefoot!" - we'll know the reason. I 'cooked' a frozen pizza last night and in the instructions it said "Do not attempt to eat before cooking." Apparently someone tried this with poor results. That wasn't you was it? Just teasing, take care of that toe, it will be sore a long time. Jackie

-- Jackie (HaloHead012@cs.com), October 22, 2002.


how about teh "strange" "unneeded" warnings , like, a hair dryer, "dont use in water" power tools ,, "dont use while raining",, any rifles or guns,,"dont look into the barrell while firing",, bolt cutters,," dont operate while barefooted" (J/K)

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), October 22, 2002.

Jay you do know I live in KY?? LOL!! I thought it was some sort of law that farm work had to be done in barefeet. I just wanted to fit in with the community, although I haven't got that chew thing down yet. :) The nail got caught on the area where the cutters connect-these are big cutters the total length is 36" and they weigh about 20#-anyway when they fell they hit the toe and I must have raised my foot so the nail got caught at the hinge and pretty much pulled loose. It's only connected at the quick area. It still doesn't hurt but then I have a very high pain tolerance. The only thing that's uncomfortable is wearing shoes!! LOL!! I actually had to put some on to go out where it was muddy since I didn't think getting mud under that loose nail would be too healthy. Normally I only wear shoes when I leave the property, I usually walk around barefoot during all 4 seasons, did that even in WI at -30. Granted in WI I didn't stay outside barefoot as long, but for short outside trips it was faster to go barefoot than pull on boots or shoes. I will try to wear shoes when working with 'heavy' equiptment from now on. I'll think of shoes just like safety glasses-a necessary evil to tolerate. :) :)

-- Kathy (beckoningwinds@yahoo.com), October 22, 2002.

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