accidents

Lightning Striking Twice

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Lightning Safety Awareness Week was last month. But to reiterate the dangers of this shocking natural phenomenon, go have a look at this flickr footage of Jessica Lynch getting struck but lightning (or click the “more” link below). She’s a very lucky girl. From Jessica’s comments:

First off, just to reiterate, i’m totally fine! At the end f the video you can see my left hand starting to shake. It threw me back a few feet and then i proceeded to have a breathing problem that sounded like breath hiccups, short and quick, and that lasted for about 3-5 minutes. While that was going on i sat and watched my left arm shake like a jackhammer which seemed to last forever and i could feel the travel path in my arm for the 24 hours following. The air did turn much warmer after the strike. i didn’t notice cooling air before, but i also wasn’t thinking it was about to hit the ground in front of me. I had no idea i even took video of this until at least 20 minutes later. It was a total surprise!

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A Recently Found Letter Written Long Ago

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To whom it may concern,

      In addition to this letter and the claim report, I have included some other useful information. The circumstances of my injury are as follows: While in Australia, on the date of July 17, 1996, I fell down a flight of stairs and fractured my wrist. On July 18, I went to the Cairns Base Hospital and had my injury taken care of and returned on July 25 to get a cast. I was not charged by the hospital for any of these services other than the $8.00 to make copies of the x-rays to bring back to my doctor in the U.S. I arrived back in the United States on August 4. On August 19 I went to Dr. Philip A. Stull to get my cast removed and was charged for his services.

      Charges incurred during the injury include $8.00 for the x-ray copies (copy of receipt enclosed), $2.95 for a cast cover in order to shower (copy of receipt enclosed), $25.00 for a non-refundable deposit on a scuba diving trip with Reef Encounters that had to be canceled due to the injury (copy of receipt enclosed), and $125.00 for the cast removal and x-rays (copy of receipt enclosed). The photocopies that I included can be explained as follows:
      page 1 – passport, drivers license, and ISIC card
      page 2 – Australian visa
      page 3 – boarding pass for leaving the U.S.
      page 4 – boarding pass for arriving back in the U.S., receipt for x-ray copies, and
      receipts for the shower bag.
      page 5 – receipt for deposit on diving trip
      page 6 – receipt for x-rays and cast removal
      page 7 – photocopy of x-ray taken at Cairns Base Hospital

If there is any other information that you require in order to process my claim please let me know.

Thanks,
Hubs

Lifting Heavy Loads

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Yesterday the IT person here at work deleted the entire list of my personal contacts from my computer. They weren’t on the network so they were irretrievable. Gone for good. Dooced. Six years of collected phone numbers and addresses: distant family, old girlfriends, close friends who have moved away, christmas card crap, long forgotten email addresses, everything. No more. Funny thing is, I’m really not too pissed about it. Something inside me says I should be mad, but I’m not. I guess I feel like if it was someone I haven’t talked to in years, well then, it’s probably not that important to talk to them again. Or is it? Some of the more essential info, important people, I have in other places. And somehow, for reasons that don’t have a logic behind them, I feel like I’m getting a little bit of a clean slate. Just a little. Maybe it’s just one broad swipe with a big, spongy, eraser on this messy chalkboard of mine. But in some way it actually feels good. To some extent it’s relieving, Somewhere a load has been lifted.

Blood

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The night before last I smashed my finger in the apartment door. It didn’t hurt too bad. I mostly just ripped my skin. The heavy door ripped it good and deep, right around the knuckle. I began bleeding immediately. Actually it didn’t bleed as much as it gushed. I held my finger in my mouth, tasting the metallic saltys-weet of blood mixed with saliva, until could put my keys away and get to the bathroom . I put my finger under the running sink faucet and the water was just barely able to keep up with the flow of blood. Eventually I figured to apply some pressure in order to slow the bleeding and get a bandage on. I probably needed stitches but couldn’t be bothered, a bandage would have to do. Well the cut finally stopped bleeding this morning. I’ll have a scar and this entry to remind me I’m still human.

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