[sits2much]

I decided to add this story manly because I read another members profile and got a good chuckle out of it. I as well as this member have a funny story behind how I got to be a T-4 paraplegic....

OK I'll start off by setting the tone of the day...

It was a hot one and I was in Laure Maryland, the sun was out and there was a nice breeze. All around perfect day!!

My job involved me sitting behind a desk ordering people around basically, I was a director of plant operations...
Of course I got bored of just doing the paper work, scheduling, making calls, setting up vendors, and so on...
I also got tired of skateboarding around my huge basement office, which was a blast cause as long as things got done right and all was in order my boss could care less. Man I miss doing some sick moves on my board, but I digress.

I started doing a lot of in-home fixing, just to save a buck for the company... My boss loved it and so I continued..

I would fix the air coolers on the roof, ride on top of the elevator working out kinks, and well a lot of things I was skilled at.

So one day I saw that the gutters on the building needed to be cleaned out...(those gutter guards are worthless)

I was wearing my normal attire, a pair of dickie shorts, company polo, and a nice grippy pair of skate shoes...

I went up on the roof which was about 2 stories, I was also director of safety LMAO.... you'll find that funny in a minute...

I want to point out too that before I got there the company had never passed a state inspection... Well I was only there for about 4 months and got things straight... First inspection on my watch, well I passed with no strikes and that just boosted my performance record...

The day before my accident I got a 2 dollar raise for my hard work, and the papers where pending a signature from corporate...

So I climbed through the roof hatch and got all the safety harness crap out and nailed down... I hate that stuff....

I tied myself into the harness and armed myself with a simple broom...

I cleaned almost half the gutters when out of no where a squirrel came out and attacked me...

I mean this thing must have been rabid or protecting its young cause the thing was short of foaming at the mouth...

The squirrel and I battled up on the roof and as it barked at me and I swatted with the broom I lost my footing...

I started to roll down the roof and well the first thought was to grab on to something, and of course there was nothing but the angry squirrel up there, and I wasn't about to touch the stupid thing..

I hit the gutter at full speed and nailed my hip disconnecting the gutter from the soffit. Don't ever try to stop your fall by a gutter, cause the thing is made out of aluminum and sharp as sh@t. I ended up cutting my hand and well still went over the edge..

One the way down the only thing I could think of was get rid of the stupid broom which I still was clutching in my hands.

So I threw the broom and finally got to the spot where the safety strap was suppose to catch and extend out to slow my fall.

Well all the chasing and running around in circles after the stupid squirrel got the straps all tangled, not to mention the rolling down the roof part...

Needless to say the strap didn't hold and the harness was a piece of OSHA approved crap and snapped apart.

I fell the rest of the way down with part of the harness still attached and the rest basically following me down..

I landed on my feet and fell immediately forward.. I was dazed at first but then looked back up and saw the angry squirrel still barking at me..

I untangled the rest of the strap and tried to stand upright.. The only pain I had was in my legs, and man it hurt like crazy... I thought all I did was hurt my legs so I stumbled into the building and in embarrassment went straight to my office. I sat there for an hour then decided to go up to my claims lady and told her what happened and that I needed to go home to rest... We filled out the claim and I left, drove myself home..

I went straight to bed and took some tylenol, and fell asleep. That night I got an emergency call and had to go back to work... I walked the entire building fixing an electrical issue.... I had a hard time standing since my legs felt like they where on fire..

The next day I woke up and felt worse, my back was starting to hurt so I called up my boss and went to a clinic to get checked out... They didn't find anything wrong with my legs, but put me immediately into physical therapy there...

It was the next night that I peed all over myself and then started to worry.

I went back for physical therapy and told the therapist my issue with the peeing on myself...

I was immediately carted off to shock trauma and well the rest is history....

I was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury and they said that my pain in the legs was due to nerves dying...

The doctor told me if I would have stayed still and been flown straight to shock trauma right after my fall that I might still be walking today...

I didn't loose all feeling in my legs till a week later and the movement was gone within 4 days. My bowels and bladder where within 3 days...

But I still laugh cause I went back to show my family where I fell since I busted the gutter and that silly squirrel was still up there, this time it didn't bark at me... I think it felt remorseful for making me fall off the roof....

No worries here though cause I have always thought and believed that god has a plan for all of us and things happen for a reason... I have met and experienced things that I would never had the chance to if I hadn't been in this chair of mine...

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This post has been edited by sits2much: 03 August 2008 - 11:02 AM

[qbounce]

Hey Sits,
Loved the squirrel!! Your story and outlook are inspiring.

[kdenon01]

omg your story is much different than most peoples! I got a chuckle out of it...mostly out of the fact that the squirrel "must have been rabid." But it's also pretty crazy how slowly your injury happened. I have to agree with the previous poster that you really do have a great outlook on everything!

[Emily C]

Thanks for sharing your story what an inspiring one it was! I loved the squirrel at the end!!!

My condition is congenital, nothing humorous about it, I wish there was! However, I love how inspiring you are and I wish you all of the best. E

[Squirrel]

Hi there, I feel like I should change my user name now!

[KarenFerguson]

Thanks for sharing your story - I have to admit I chuckled at the squirrel part.

[fatdave]

damn, after being sick for that few days this is what i needed. I have 12 gauge and some birdshot wanna wheel over there and take that evil thing out?

[Hapahowlee]

Sits2much,

You got me going again. I laughed through the entire story, well the ending wasn't so funny, but it sounds so much like something I would do. Only I never used to go into areas where critters might be found without taking my BB gun. My hubby calls me Annie Oakley cuz I'm a sure shot. Wish I had been up on the roof with you that day, we could've tag teamed that varmint. BTW, anyone get this on tape?

You got a great outlook on life, very refreshing for all I'm sure

[reaven85]

Hahaha I must say you have made me feel so much better! When my bf was in rehab I would drive back and forth about 3 times a day. Well One day I left and was going to get him something? As I was driving I saw a squirrel. This was odd only because his rehab was located on the buissiest buisness rd we have. Truxten ext. That road is busy at all hours day and night. I dont even think there is a tree? Anywho I saw it. It was directly in my path and for some reason instead of thinking to swerve or switch lanes I was looking at it as I drove closer going 55 mph thinking how funny a squirrel out here? Then it hit me right as I hit it. Damn I should have switched lanes or something. I could not believe what I had done! I was so upset I have never killed a animal before. But after reading your story I had a flash back. I remember it all differently now. What had happened was it came out and starred me down it flipped me off it looked at me with its beady eyes as if it was saying hit me I dare ya! Go ahead you stupid B**** hit me. Haha your boyfriends in a wheelchair. lol so Thank you for sharing. I feel so much better now.

[sits2much]

Thanks for all the replies....

The squirrel community just wanted reving... I had never hit an animal in my life till the day I went to go bring my first pup home... It was a long drive and I was in my monster truck hahahaha (really a Silverado Full size pickup, but with a lift and dully) I was coming home and this squirrell did the normal "freak out and which way do I go...) I thought he/she had cleared the road but then it decided to run straight back out into the road and well I hit it... I believe it died on impact since my tire ran over it completely and the weight of the truck...

So that was the first squirrel story in my life...

I gotta tell you and yes this is for real... It happened with in a month of my return home... I was out on the front stoop in my chair smoking a cig when I heard a thump... When I looked I saw a adolescent squirrel laying on the ground... It had obviously fell from the tree it was in... It looked right at me still alive but dying... The mother (I assume) can down and tried to revive the poor little thing... I laid there and died right before my eyes and within a few feet of me...

So I believe I hit a squirrel, a squirrel attacked me causing serious injury, then a squirrel dies right in front of me, should I be SCARED????

I didn't kill the last one though so maybe that was poetic justice...

[Hapahowlee]

I'd keep one eye open. You might wake up one day to find your home surrounded by squirrels ready to attack you with their NUTS!

[sits2much]

Hapahowlee, on Aug 8 2008, 12:25 PM, said:

I'd keep one eye open. You might wake up one day to find your home surrounded by squirrels ready to attack you with their NUTS!

LMAO I do I really do!!

[kewlcatkez]

Yes, your story is definitely unique!

If you haven't already,you might want to add it to the big thread of stories: http://www.apparelyz...p?showtopic=595

Take care,
K

[Squirrel]

LOL don't worry I'm not going to attack you!

[qbounce]

Oh Sits, I always thought the Blue Jays were the ones to watch!! Shows how much I know!!!

[City Girl]

Funny about the squirrel! We live across the street from High Park where every squirrel in Toronto lives! My husband has an odd fetish for squirrels and leaves a little dish a cashews just inside our kitchen door. We have one squirrel, a grey guy, who is so aggressive that if the kitchen door is closed and he comes by, he practically knocks on it. One day when the back door was open, he came into the house and climbed up onto the counter and was sitting a top of our microwave. I walked into the kitchen (pre-accident) and he looked at me as if to say, "Excuse me, but where's the cashew buffet?" Squirrels can get pretty aggressive!

[purple_faeries]

This'll make you laugh - I read your last post City Girl and mis-read the 'grey guy' as 'gey (gay)' rofl.

And then I read it out-loud to my husband and did it again

Nothing like Freudian Slips is there

Hannah