I am writing in response to your
request for additional
information in Block #3 of the accident reporting form. I put "Poor
Planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller
explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient.
I am a bricklayer by trade.
On the day of the accident, I was
working alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I
completed my work, I found I had some bricks left over which when
weighed later were found to weigh 240 lbs. Rather than carry the
bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a
pulley which was attached to the side of the building at the sixth
floor.
Securing the rope at ground level,
I went up to the roof,
swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down
and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow descent of
the 240 lbs of bricks. You will note on the accident reporting form
that my weight is 135 lbs.
Due to my surprise at being jerked
off the ground so suddenly,
I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless
to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building.
In the vicinity of the third floor,
I met the barrel which was
now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains
the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as
listed in Section 3 of the accident reporting form.
Slowed only slightly, I continued
my rapid ascent, not
stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep
into the pulley which I mentioned in Paragraph 2 of this
correspondence. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence
of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of the
excruciating pain I was now beginning to experience.
At approximately the same time,
however, the barrel of bricks
hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of
the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I
refer you again to my weight.
As you might imagine, I began a
rapid descent down the side of
the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel
coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth
and severe lacerations of my legs and lower body.
Here my luck began to change slightly.
The encounter with the
barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into
the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked.
I am sorry to report, however, as
I lay there on the pile of
bricks, in pain, unable to move and watching the empty barrel six
stories above me, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and
let go of the rope.