What's your worst wound wrenching around on the car?
 

Well I had a lovely morning. Working on dropping my exhaust so I could get a second o2 bung welded in on the cheap I was wrenching out the stock o2 as I have a dozen times and the wrench let go (rounded off the bolt?) and my arm jerked back and hit something in the engine bay (normally I go from the bottom but I had everything out). I thought I scraped my arm pretty badly but looking down I had a 2-3 inch deep, deep gash. I had to look twice. After running in and telling the wife I needed to go to the hospital I passed out. Next thing I know EMTs are on the way and I'm laying on my back in our entry (I have a thing for passing out when things puncture my skin, it's silly).

All said and done, ~17 stitches I'd guess and no second o2 bung for the ol LC-1. =( So freaking absurd. And from the o2 sensor no less. Sheeesh.

So what's your worst wound when working on a car?

haven't had anything that bad, my dad managed to shove a philips through his hand once though.

Ahhhh, that's horrible. How the hell?

When I was working at a Toyota and a skid plate fell off a 4WD 4Runner, it landed on the back of my leg and severed my achilles tendon....

Right where you see the big spot in the center was a cut all the way across my tendon.

(getting the staples taken out post reconstructive surgery)
Attachment 213331

he was doing something inside the A pillar of his D stock Civic Si, I think with the antenna, and it slipped. I don't remember to well though, I was 12.

nothing worse than busted knuckles...damn doppleganger, thats some nasty shit.

damn! When it got cut did it cause you to collaspe?

Worst ive got working on a car is cut up knuckles from a wrench slipping.

Eh... i hobbled for a moment before sitting down and taking my shoe off. It wasn't very fun :(

I was on crutches for 6 months.

mine is a moment of epic stupidity that i will share for you all. I was working under the car with the car positioned on four jackstands. I was pulling the transmission in preparation for a clutch job. I was trying to loosen one of the bellhousing bolts that was sealed by the right hand of the Allmighty when my ratchet slipped, sending my elbow into a crossmember. This set off a Rube Goldberg style chain of events that I will describe:

slipped wrench
busted elbow into crossmember
reflex action from pulling my arm back from that caused me to jerk my arm hard away from the crossmember, jamming my fist into the razor sharp side of the block, gashing my first knuckle.
simultaneously, the pain from that made me jump up, slamming my forehead into the transmission housing, ultimately leaving a bruise the size of south korea.
the reflex from that caused me to slam the back of my head on the concrete, giving me a ready-made do-it-yourself home concussion kit.

by the time i made inside to tend to my elbow, hand and forehead, i came to the realization that that was the worst I had ever lost a fight to an inanimate object.

Two stereo install stories:

1) I was installing a stereo into my Triumph Spitfire and laid a soldering iron on the ground. When I went to get out of the car I stepped on it, of course I was barefoot at the time, and due to the awkward position I was in I ended up standing on the iron in a weird "couldn't stand up all the way and didn't want to fall backwards into the car". Branded the hell out of the bottom of my foot - the pain was incredible.

2) There was a guy at work who was helping his brother install a stereo. His brother was using a razor blade to cut some wire loom under his dash when a fly started buzzing around him. Reflexes got the best of him and he brushed the fly off his face with the hand holding the razor blade (of course, he sliced the shit out of his face). I never got to see it but I heard it was pretty bad.

As much as that sucks. Its a little funny. I guess mine would be trying to take out the alternator out. I attacked it from the bottom and couldnt get the dam thing to come off the bracket. So i took a rubber mallet and hit it a couple times then it fell on my right shoulder. No stitches just a lot of pain and bitchen.

Never anything bad enough to need a hospital visit, but I did manage to burn a patch of skin the size of a silver dollar away from the top of my right wrist while I was wrenching on the kart during an endurance race. Didn't really hurt after it happened, but it took 3 months to heal. Burned a solid .5mm of skin away.

I've been lucky and have only had your standard fare occasional smashed finger. My dad, who is a mechanic, has had several broken bones (particularly hands), 3rd degree burns, and really awful cuts.

I just laughed so much it hurt, thank you.:bowrofl:

No trips (yet) to the ER, though I have had the obligatory cuts, gashes, divots, burns and bruises needed to "baptize" my various vehicles.

I expect the worst injury could have been worse than it was.

I was installing a new clutch/pressure plate assembly in an '84 Mustang GT. While under the car, I had the 35(+) pound held in place with my right hand and the clutch alignment tool in place when I reached behind me (over my head) to get the first bolt to anchor the plate.

Unfortunately, as my arm moved, the side of my hand brushed the alignment tool. (Please note, this was not one of the plastic alignment tools used on Miatae, but instead about 5lbs of carbon steel.) It wiggled loose and dropped, bouncing off my forehead. Thankfully I had the survival instinct *not* to move my right hand, otherwise I would have bounced the clutch and pressure plate off my chest.

After a (long) stream of colorful anglo-saxon and germanic metaphors while waiting for my vision to clear, I (safely) lowered the clutch assembly and found the nearest mirror to marvel at the slight dent and early bruising.

Once the concussion and bruising went away, I haven't noticed any ill effects. (Though I did gain an appreciation of British humor...)

- L

I'd have to agree that dropping something above your head sucks when you know you can't move your hands. Done it before too.

Holy crap man, that's horrible. I have to admit I'm probably going to be a little skitish around the car for a few days, I can't what something like that would do.

January 2003, I was removing the radiator from a 20,000LB Hyster forklift. This radiator weighed approximately 120 LB, and was located in a very awkward position. Wile removing it, my left foot slipped, I twisted to the left, and the radiator rode me to the ground. I herniated L4 and L5, and was unable to work for over a year. I still have a lot of trouble with lower back issues.

its kind of funny, but i did this within the first week of owning my miata,
i was swapping the clutch, car was on 4 jack stands, i was under it,
i was taking the bolt off the speed sensor thingy off, when it slipped sending my hand into the tranny, the reflex sent my elbow into the side of the car,
i jumped, sending my head into the exhaust line, reaction, i reflexed right into the ground,

i just lay there for a few minutes, while everyone around me was laughing

I had just finished welding up a section of exhaust for my escort and dropped it against my forearm. You can still see the outline of the burn and that was like 3 years ago.