Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Be careful out there!

Just heard that my cousin had an incident while loading his ATV on the truck. He puts his little Honda 300 on from the side, crossways on top of the bed of his Dodge 4x4. That way he can put stuff in the bed and under it.

Well, it seems that it started to bog down about a foot from the top of the ramp, so he gave it more gas. The engine caught, it had traction, and he couldn't get it stopped in time. It went over the other side of the truck, I think it got the rear wheels caught up on the stops (not 100% sure about that), so I don't think it landed on him.

BUT, he kept on going.........

I'll get more details today I hope. I have no idea where he was when it happened - if he was at home or out in the woods. Whether he was alone or with someone. He lives in Casper, Wy. All I know now is that he broke rib #1,2,3,4 and 5, broke his clavicle, dislocated his shoulder, punctured a lung and might have some aortic damage - they were going to do more tests today.

Hoping for a speedy recovery for your cousin. That's usually how it happens, quickly and unexpectedly.

Thanks Tony. Still unsure of all the details, but few more details are known now. I talked to his brother who lives in Minnesota.

Those ribs are on the left side. Top 4 are broke, all the rest on that side are cracked. Clavicle is broke in a couple of places. Lung was leaking enough that it was pushing pus and air up into his neck/face, so they had to go in and put a couple of sutures in to close it up. They had to re-position the drain in his chest – it wasn’t draining enough. They think the aorta has a small tear in it, but they think that with the immobilization that it will heal on it’s own. That will get looked at again in a few days. They aren’t going to do much with the clavicle/shoulder just yet, there’s other things that are more important now, and what they’ll do is manipulate the clavicle a bit to try and get it all where it’s supposed to be.

Still not known where he did it, or if there was anybody with him when it happened. The best guess is that it happened in a “yard” that he rents to keep some stuff, and that’s also where he processes firewood on his days off. He supplies firewood to a bunch of convenience stores as a side job. His brother thinks that maybe one of the grandkids was with him.

We were told that it takes a LOT of force to break rib #1, which is the topmost rib.

We’re thinking that it’ll be at least a 6 week recovery.

OUCH!!! ...That made me hurt!

I've only cracked a few ribs when someone spilled oil (and didn't clean it up) on the fork truck and I slipped then landed left side, nice drop onto the steering wheel with full body weight. That was every bit of 6 weeks to recover from that. Rib's hurt something terrible when you crack them, don't want to know what it feels like when you break them.

I had to sleep on a partially deflated air mattress just so I could actually get some sleep. Luna slept in her bed at the side of mine. When I put the air mattress down, she would stretch during the night and well, those claws have a tendency to deflate air mattresses. After the second one, I went out and bought a couple of the largest and thickest comforters and wrapped the air mattress in that. Good to go until I could sleep in a regular bed again.

I feel for your cousin, and wish him the quickest, most complete and most painless recovery.

BTW, I'm looking at getting another lab soon. There is a lab breeder about 20 miles from here that I'm told is the go-to place, so I'll check it out.

Glad he is so tough!!

Praying for a complete recovery. Hope he has the best care available.

It will be more than 6 weeks. Ribs take a long time to heal so there is no pain. That could have easily killed him. Glad it looks ok for now.

Thanks guys. I'll pass the thoughts and prayers along when I talk to him tomorrow.

Makes the recent thread on the problems with trailers look like they are not so bad after all.

Best wishes for his recovery. Bet he uses alternative hauling methods in the future.

snrub, I think he'll still haul them the same way. Something about being stubborn and of German lineage.....

If what I think happened is correct, he was loading them on the PU truck to go Elk hunting in Colorado. He puts them sideways on top of the bed of the truck so he can pack the bed with stuff. He tows an Alaskan Camper trailer to sleep in, or packs a large wall tent, depending on where they are going to camp.

They typically drive as far as they can with the PU trucks, and then make a few trips with the ATV's to get further back in. They have to stay on the designated trails with the ATV's.

Unloading my 4 wheelers is the scariest part.

Wishes for a speedy recovery.

Sounds like a neat hunting trip and a cool way to pack for it. Bet he is disappointed, not to mention in pain.

Hopefully at a later date he will be able to go.

snrub, it's an annual trip for him and some of his brothers, depending on their schedule. He also has a buddy that lives in Colorado that usually goes too. It's all dependent on getting tags - its a lottery system. Typically the trip will be about 10 days, but sometimes it will get cut short by the weather. One year they were there for 3 days and got outta dodge before the predicted storm hit. Lucky they did, or they would have had to walk out, leaving everything there. The storm dumped 4' of snow in a few days. IIRC they camp around 10,000' elevation.

They usually will get at least one Elk, and no matter who shoots it, they split the meat among all the guys on the trip. I don't think they've ever had 100% success, and there have been times when nobody connects too.

No greater pain then broken ribs. Do not make him laugh.

I give my kids crap for not putting a helmet on even when loading and unloading the sleds or ATV. The wrecks happen easier in the yard than on the trail.

Wish him well and do not make him laugh... oh god do not make him laugh.

Cheers Don.

Don, been there twice with busted ribs. About the time you almost get to sleep, you move. And the pain starts again.

Yep... even with multiple cracked ribs it's more than you want to deal with at the moment, but you do survive. Albeit, quite a bit more careful in the future.