Roofing nail all the way through my foot, sticking out the top. My dad took pliers grabbed on and pulled it out. Top that.
No problem....Top THIS!
I was 19 years old when 6 pounds of metal dust in the bottom of the machine I had just repaired, exploded. It blew me over 40 feet away and when I got up to walk out of the now burning area (I could get graphic here but won't) and the foreman wanted me to lie down because, as he said, "you're hurt". I said something like "Ya THINK"! I knew I was hurt pretty bad cause I felt almost no pain.
Later we found out that the freak explosion was that the "Dust" from what was being buffed off a teflon coated cast aluminum/magnesium alloy pancake gridle, combined with the iron oxide of the collection bin to create Thermite. Perfect temp, ingriediants, and humidtity and BOOM, instant 3000+ degrees.
The Dr's. Told my wife and family that there was ZERO chance of my survival, that the heat was so intense that even the steel toes in my boots were melted and that I had suffered burns to 98% of my body, 90% were 3rd degree. My wife informed them that they were wrong and she was sure I'd be fine. When they asked her why she thought that, she simply told them, "You know that area that was unburned?", well, when I went in to see him, all he said was, "IT" didn't get burned! Still wanna try for that boy?--"Now?"
I walked out of the ICU in 91 days with only 1 small bandage from an infection and missing the top halves of my ears, but spent 3 of the next 7 years recovering from well over 100 reconstructive sugeries. But a 19 year old kid has his priorities and mine ended up producing 4 beautiful daughters.
At 19, NOTHING gets in the way of "priorities"!
Cecil, did you mention a splinter?
Damn those hurt!
