way OT Bad week!

[fordwannabe]

Last Sunday while splitting wood for hunting camp, my 16 year old and I fouled up big time!! I asked if he had his fingers clear, he said yep clear and I pushed the lever on the splitter. A few seconds later he says very matter of fact "my finger". Dang it he had moved his hands as a friend pulled up in a truck and I had started the machine. We spent monday at the orthopedic surgeons and yesterday he had the remaining bone cut off to the first joint. He is doing ok but I feel Like HE77. His football team is in the Pennsylvania playoffs and he is standing on the side lines. I know I could not have done any more than we did to make it safe and we have done a lot of this but Dang it. He will be out 2-3 weeks(that could easily mean the rest of the season) and missing a finger tip for the rest of his life. I just feel like poop, and I know he will feel it tonight as the team plays without their starting DT. Nothing anybody can do but AAAARRRGGGGHHH. He did try to make ME feel better though, he came into the gun room and grabbed a marlin to make sure he will still be able to pull the trigger(with middle finger for this year) during hunting camp. He's using a model 1894 marlin this year. Sorry for the rant but you guys listen well. Tom

[SmokeEater2]

Sorry to hear about the accident and I hope he heals up quick.

[madman4570]

Prayers up--- Guy! Boy, that is a tough one right there.
ya know as long as I can get my little greedy hands on 3 tons of wood pellets a year,they make them 25 miles away,i will never cut/split/stack/burn wood again. Last year, the total amount of ashes for all year of burning filled 3 gallons.I am done wood cutting.
If I need more exercise I will go to the gym! Good Luck! (you tell the boy we are thinking of him!)

[kimwcook]

Ford, sorry about the accident. I can only try and feel how you'd feel, but you said it yourself, you've done this before and you were as safe as you could be. Bad stuff happens to good people too. It's a shame they couldn't reattach the end of his finger even if it didn't have a lot of motion. As easy as this is to say and not so easy to implement, don't be so hard on yourself.

[J Miller]

Tom,

Sorry to hear about your sons injury. It sounds trite, but sometimes things just happen. Don't beat yourself up too bad over it. He'll heal and both of you will be OK.

Joe

[Sixgun]

An undeliberate accident for a small physical injury between a great father and son is nothing compared to the mental abuse some children face by their parents, especially the parents who get all drunk and drugged up and end up causing negligent permanent injuries which are sometimes serious.

Hey, "sheet" happens and you meant no wrong. You boy is quite a man for comforting you. You guys will be pals for life. -------------Sixgun

[iceman]

Don't beat yourself up over this. It happens to the best. My cousin (a guitar player) cut his own fingers with a splitter stupid accident hard to explain but it happened. Your son sounds like he will be if not already one heck of a man and someone to be proud of. Best of luck to all.

[jnyork]

What sixgun said.

[CEMENTHEAD]

Sorry to hear about that Tom. He'll be ok and you will be too. I had my left pinkie finger tip taken off, at almost the first joint, in September of '08. So I have a little experience with it. He'll be fine, kids recouperate faster than 38 year olds . So if you need any questions answered I'm here.....Tom

15th of October '08 (after a month)


13th of November '09

[rjohns94]

Oh my Gosh, I am so sorry. Prayers for you both.

[bogus bill]

Sorry for you and your sons accident. I know you would rather it been you. Last summer my wife was getting somthing off a storage ledge above our garage door high up on the step ladder. Guess who walked over absently minded and hit the garage opener! The door rolled up and swept her backwards off the ladder! It hurt her too, but she laughed about it. I cant remember feeling so dumb in my life! No use in crying over spilt milk!

[Ysabel Kid]

Prayers for you both. Beating yourself up continously won't help either of you. I'm sure that is easier said than done!

[AJMD429]

An undeliberate accident for a small physical injury between a great father and son is nothing compared to the mental abuse some children face by their parents, especially the parents who get all drunk and drugged up and end up causing negligent permanent injuries which are sometimes serious.

Hey, "sheet" happens and you meant no wrong. You boy is quite a man for comforting you. You guys will be pals for life. -------------Sixgun

Sixgun said it all. I agree 100% with it.

[TedH]

Sorry to hear this, but accidents happen. I know it's impossible, but try not to beat yourself up too badly.

For what it's worth, I had a similar thing happen to me in my early 20's. I was reaching where I shouldn't have been on a running car engine and ran my trigger finger between the alternator pulley and the belt. It took the end of my finger off before you could blink. They were able to graft my finger into my palm for 6 weeks and basically made a new end for my finger. It has little feeling in it, and gets cold way before the rest of my fingers do, but still functions as a trigger yanker.

Prayers up.

[C. Cash]

Very sorry to hear this! It could have happened to any of us. I wasn't thinking for a minute and lost my right eye in an accident while in the Army. We just have to focus on what we can change now and not going back to beat ourselves up over the past. I've come to feel there are no real accidents, and this event will be used to shape the future for the better for your son or perhaps someone else. These things are hard when they happen, but the reason why will become clearer down the road. Prayers going out for you guys......

[Hagler]

Tom,

I am sorry to hear of this. However, your boy will be in good company: both "happy painter" Bob Ross & James "Scotty" Doohan were each missing a piece of a finger. I can imagine what your son will tell the ladies!

Shawn

[OI phones in...]

Ow.

His Trigger Finger

Good on him for taking it like a Man though.

You'll both be fine. Now he's got a war wound to show the girls.

[2X22]

Oh MAN I am so SO sorry to hear about this accident. Your son, I'm sure he'll be fine in a few months. Dad has to quit beating himself up.

CEMENTHEAD, I'm sorry to hear of your 'loss' too

2x22

[gamekeeper]

Prayers for you both. Beating yourself up continously won't help either of you. I'm sure that is easier said than done!

+ 1

[Borregos]

Prayers for you both. Beating yourself up continously won't help either of you. I'm sure that is easier said than done!

+ 1

+2

[Cliff]

I am sorry to hear this. Hope he heals up okay. Growing up in a rural area such accidents were not uncommon. A lot of people I knew had had bad accidents and seemed more common back then in the 1950's. This doesn't make you or him feel any better, but hope it works out for him. Besides he can have a new nick name, "Stubby". Best wished and all for your son. Good Luck.

[Doc Hudson]

I'm drreadfully sorry the accident happened, but it was an accident and not your fault. merely a moment of inattention at the wrong time on your son's part.

Let us all thank God that it was merely the tip of a finger and not the whold hand.

[fordwannabe]

Thank you all! My son and I have had a tough week and I was right it killed him to have to stay on the sidelines on friday. Thankfully they won. With 1 second on the clock one of the guys blocked a game winning field goal from the 25. Malachi(my son)is ok but showing some anger about the situation(really hard to believe huh) but I think he will be okay. Thank you guys! There are not many places a guy can tell this kind of thing and the greatest response is "prayers up". This is truly a special place and an amazing group of gentlemen and ladies. Thank you for letting me be a part of it. I found it trying to find out about a trigger job for my marlins and have found so much more! God Bless you all. Tom

[stretch]

That's really a shame, Tom. it's always tough when you
hurt your own kid, even accidentally. You'll both heal, and
with a little luck you'll be teasing each other about it for years
to come.

-Stretch

[fordwannabe]

Already started he called me the butcher the other day and I had to respond,,,, stumpy. We will be fine I was worried ,but I think we are both taking a full share of responsibility for it and "stuff happens". Tom

P.S. with the end missing his finger is still longer than mine!

[mescalero1]

It is no comfort,
but those of us who go in harm's way,
are often wounded.

[madman4570]

Is there anything like our children???? God love em. Hug him, and tell him you love him"every day if you can"