Metal Detecting Injuries

Haven't hurt myself detecting yet, but I know things can sometimes go pear shaped.

Hi FB,

The barbs on that treble ain't that nasty, you just get ya pliers out and rip it out with a circular motion.

Or better still get rid of the barbs!!! Much better for catch and release.

Mick,

Yeah like hitting yourself in the face with a pick, twisting your ankle very badly 2 or so k's from camp, when it starts raining real heavy and you bolt for the car and go arse over tit when you try to hurdle a log but the pick handle snears on it so you hit the ground with the pick nearly de balling you, yeah look stuff can happen.

Chemically sharpened hooks have a lot to answer for. They do get in. Just ask most fish!

Fishing with barb less hooks is easy enough, just keep a tight line and the slippery suckers can’t get away.

Hope it pulled though ok!


AuFishy.

One of our club members at the annual prospecting camp in May broke her leg in 3 places.....had to be fixed with steel pins......the cause.....she was wearing boots with" lace ups" the laces actually go around hooks( not thru' holes ).....the lace on one boot hooked onto the other boot....end of story!

I once saw my fishing partner who was standing on his bream boat's front deck, try a 1 handed backstroke cast and end up with two barbs of a chemically sharpened 2/0 owner treble thru a nostril!!!

Gday


Yep I did that one time too, balancing on the rocks, great big fat tailor dangling there, when I went to grab it to get it off the hooks came out, and straight into the palm of my hand went the treble hook, lost the tailor into the rocks then had to rockhop back to the car to get some pliers to pull the hooks out.

And I have hurt myself several times while prospecting, one time I forgot to put the fly net on and took a swipe at them with the pick in my hand and whacked myself in the head, good thing it hit me in the head, anywhere else and I would have been hurt .

Another time I whacked a piece of quartz with my pick and a piece of it came away and hit me in the cheek cutting it open, that was a quick lesson on how sharp quartz can be and how careful you need to be when smashing it up.

cheers

stayyerAU

That looks nasty

This is how I was told to remove a hook from a finger or the like...

Cut about 12" of fishing line and loop it around the middle of the bend in the hook.

Wrap the two tag ends around your finger a few times to gain a good grip.

Push the shank of the hook down to the skin

Give a quick, firm tug on the line. This should pull the hook free.

I don't have a tale of a propecting injury, but I did cut my ear off in a motorcycle accident when I was younger.
Well it wasn't right off, it was hanging by the lobe.

Cheers

Quite often while chaining an area, (particularly rocky shaley areas) the chain gets hooked up in said rocks..... or tree stumps and reefs you backwards. This is really horrid when you are taking a big stride over an obsticle like a creek or tree stump as it leaves me hanging.
Also when your imagination kicks in and all of a sudden the same chain sounds just like a snake hissing through the leaf litter.....and you stupidly jump and run a few steps..... AND IT CHASES YOU!!!! I feel like such a drongo and hope no one is working close enough to see me!
Shell

BradShell wrote:Quite often while chaining an area, (particularly rocky shaley areas) the chain gets hooked up in said rocks..... or tree stumps and reefs you backwards. This is really horrid when you are taking a big stride over an obsticle like a creek or tree stump as it leaves me hanging.
Also when your imagination kicks in and all of a sudden the same chain sounds just like a snake hissing through the leaf litter.....and you stupidly jump and run a few steps..... AND IT CHASES YOU!!!! I feel like such a drongo and hope no one is working close enough to see me!
Shell

Just stopped laughing..... Can just imagine a guy running around in circles in the bush getting chased by a chain snake. I just remembered swatting a fly too(when I first started detecting) using the hand holding the pick-wont do that again (I hope).

Wonderful topic, lol. Great stories and a good laugh after a crappy day at work.... so thanks everyone.

I fish, but no injuries, except the time i walked barefoot over my jacket lying and the ground and fell to the ground in great pain as i remembered i had a star sinker in the pocket, and a massive big swollen black lump forming on the sole of my foot..... oh and ive learnt NOT to peel a potato with a stay sharp knife. they really do stay sharp! Didnt really feel the cut but seeing as though i cut the main artery and nerve in my thumb, well the blood sent me into a panic. Yep, over 20 years later and my thumb is still buggered, lol. Luckily for me the bone stopped the blade

No major detecting injury yet (i did say 'yet'). Plenty of falls, bruises and things flying into my eye, but thats all so far.

Up a 6ft ladder one day pulling a large cable tie really hard when it snapped and I punched myself in the head and fell to the ground on my back.Blacked out for a while wont do that again.

I know this is not related to our hobby but this one is a classic

Bricklayer's Accident Report
The following is a bricklayer's accident report, which was printed in the newsletter of the Australian equivalent of the Workers' Compensation board.
Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block 3 of the accident report 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 that I had some bricks left over which, when weighed later were found to be slightly in excess of 500 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 on 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 ensure a slow descent of the bricks.

You will note in Block 11 of the accident report form that I weigh 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 equal, impressive speed. This explained the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collar bone, as listed in section 3 of the accident report 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.

Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of beginning to experience a great deal of pain.

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, that barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight. As you can 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 several 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, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope and I lay there watching the empty barrel begin its journey back down onto me. This explains the two broken legs.

I hope this answers your inquiry.
Kevin Roben
Wagga Glass e Aluminium Pty Ltd
PO Box 5004 (11 Dobney Ave)
Wagga Wagga NSW 2550

Was mucking around with 2 rare earth magnets I'd just got and admiring the strength they had.

note to self: 2 rare earth magnets and fingers don't mix.

500 metres from the nearest toilet and no leaves big enough.

stood on my speaker cord yesterday and snapped it off at the speaker. done repairs resoldering wire on small speakers like this in the past with not good results. fortunately this time it's good as new.

cutting the palm of my hand on grass.

Great Topic!

Personal injury tally:

• Hit myself with a pick in the face while swatting a fly that was on my second trip. Was lucky not to put out the eye, as the thin pick end hit me into the eyebrow. We have a Bleeeder!
  
  Cut my hand while picking up a target from clay ball. Target turned out to be about 1/2 of the blade of a hunting knife. I learned nothing, because i know - real men don't use scoops.
  
  Slipped in the mud and grabbed onto old rusted barbed wire fence. A Barb went right through the meaty part of the palm. Had to get tetnis shots
  

I think the hit-myself-with-a-pick injury is more common than is talked about

A rather annoying fly….detecting out bush the kamikaze version (You know)of the fly decides to bring some excitement to my somewhat uneventful day, no amount of shoo, go away, arm waving, threats of violence was going to deter this pilot.

Drastic action was going to be required….”Enough”…..stand up straight put the pick down grab the detector with left hand….. wait there he is between my cheek bone and nose…..Steady now abit closer…. WHACK…..satisfaction very quickly turned to the overpowering feeling of pain in the nasal region, once I was able to open my eyes and get some vision back thru the eyes that were by now flowing water I noticed that there was now claret running freely thru the nasal passages, by now I was thinking maybe some more thought should have been put into it, things were now about to take a turn for the worse….it now appeared that every fly from a 1 Kilometre radius was going to turn up to the funeral.

A 500 meter walk, stumble back to the car with occasional bouts of laughter whilst trying to keep the mouth shut as most of the funeral participants had decided to try and land on the chin upper lip region was no mean feat in itself.

Back at the car, a 15 minute lay down was required to stem the flow and allow the funeral goers to return back to their homes. A quick spray of repellent and all is good in the world again.

Memo to oneself if you are not going to wear insect repellent wear a fly net to negate the further possibility of self harm and also to preserve ones sanity.

I still laugh when I think about it….Fortunately analysis is not the only way to resolve conflicts. Life itself still remains a very effective therapist.

My bad knee gave away and I came very close to falling down a mineshaft one day

A mate cleaning out the bottom of a deep detector hole with his fingers,broken glass.This was a real mess and not a pretty sight.

LOL I have a nasty habit of stepping backwards off the cliff into a creek. Well twice in two weeks was it but holy moly. First time I just landed flat on my back but second time, Luckily I landed upside down on my back onto a rocky but nicely steep sided slope that did nothing more than flip me over so that I landed on my feet at the bottom. Suffice to say I don't dig a target with my back to a gully anymore.

Dicko..

Detecting near Ararat years ago I stepped on a stump in the middle of a gutter. Stump fell over. Detector went one way (vlf) and the pick went another. Landed flat on my back so hard I thought I'd broken every bone in my body. Missus nearly fell over and injured herself as she was laughing so hard. Gotta be careful out in the bush, its a dangerous place for a clutz.

Very nasty right groin injury swiping surface trash away - still suffering

i too have wacked my self in the face with the pick swating flys but the worst i have done was when i got a good signal under a dead tree after digging all the way around i went to give the tree a good hard yank and the branch i was pulling on broke and i ended up tearing the ligaments in my shoulder and jamed a nerve in my neck it but me flat on my back rolling around in agony after the shock had settled i set off back to town what was normaly an hours drive took three hours due to the bouncing around on corrigated roads
moral of the story use a winch to pull up old tree stumps
i went back a month later and got the signal it was a nice 10 grammer

Kingfish: That broken glass sounds real nasty. Never thought about that either. Thanks for the warning.

Couple of close calls: First time I used a Geo-Pick, it bounced off the quartz and the sharp tip stopped a half inch from my eye. I now carry safety glasses from Bunnings in my pack and watch for a repeat.

Leaped across a couple of boulders crossing a river with my detector in hand and slipped over on the wet moss. I landed on my back and slowly slid over a short waterfall whilst holding the detector over my head to keep it out of the water. Only my wife was there but i felt like a goose slipping over like that. On the way back across, I did exactly the same thing again only I ended upside down in the river. Quite humiliating, even without an audience.

Was in Sofala at Big Oakey Creek testing out an X-Terra 70 some years ago when I climbed an extremely steep embankment to get to the base of a large, fallen tree. I lost my footing in wet mud and slipped so I reached out and grabbed a fistfull of what can only be the longest-spined cactus plant I have ever come across. The spines when right through the tendons and a few of them grazed the bone. Possibly the worst pain I have felt in a very long time. Anyway, I let go when I regained my balance and had to return to the car to remove them with pliers. Just last week one of those stupid cactus went right through my sneakers and punctured my toe at the Turon River. Someone else got one too. We both found that a stick doesn't dislodge them, you need a knife.

it's not worth getting incapacitated out there by something silly. I take more care now and don't take as many risks as I did.



Last thing: Those Jack-Jumper Ants are a nasty critter. Locals around hill End, Wattle Flat and Sunny Corner/Dark Corner seem to take delight in dropping a .22 cal slug down the nest entrances. I got duped once on Blackbutt Mountain thinking I'd found a nugget. That nest pretty much exploded with a flurry of nasty ants as soon as my pick hit the ground. The mountain opposite was also literally covered with thousands of nests of this species of ant (see pic). Carry antihistamines and definitely a tube of Stingoes. If ever you come across these ants, there's a short fern that grows in the same vicinity as the ants seem to occur. Rip one out and snap off the bulb at the bottom of the fern. Apply the wet sap to the sting area and the relief will come quickly. I suspect the fern contains some sort of anti-histamine or something which relieves the symptoms.

I broke a nail once

madtuna wrote:I broke a nail once

square head or round?

Tuna, I hope there was someone there to administer first aid - "never go into the bush alone"

unfortunately...nah
but from now on I'm camping next to Marco....he has all the gear from antiwhat'samines to bright orange flag down a helicopter vests and I hear he makes a damn fine latte while you're being attended to!

Just last week one of those stupid cactus

Tiger cactus im lead to believe, nasty Fen stuff that's why i wear gumboots around the Turon. Bloody goats have spread it everywhere, and the youngest dog (Harry) can always pick up a poo load.
Watching him grab it with his teeth and rip it out is painful to watch but have given up trying to remove it for him, besides hes got it down pat its only when its on his nose i help.

but from now on I'm camping next to Marco

going to be a bit cramped in that hotel room
Seriously no bad mishaps as yet, apart from slate cuts on the hands and hangovers (do they count?).
Regards
John

after getting too feral for too long without a shower or clothes change.....
does chafing in the nether regions count?

I was gunna say, by the time nero gets his kit packed and in the car, sounds like it would be nearly time to take it all out again wouldn't it?

It takes me long enough with just the bare essentials!!

cheers, Ferris.

ferrousfinder wrote:
I was gunna say, by the time nero gets his kit packed and in the car, sounds like it would be nearly time to take it all out again wouldn't it?

You have no idea just how close to the truth you are. The mistake i most commonly make on a short trip is to bring both detecting AND sluicing/panning materials with me in the same vehicle. In the end, you usually regret all the extra gear and you pray you don't break down or have an accident that forces you to carry half of it to the nearest house.'