Day 101 November 10, 2001

Ever see those signs at industrial areas that say "298 DAYS WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY"? Well mine says "0". Darren Post, my easy going, helpful, positive upbeat brother-in-law fell from a ladder going up into the loft and broke his left wrist. Needless to say I feel horrible that someone got hurt helping me. I feel responsible and guilty even if I am not. He is not the type to blame anyone, and dismisses the accident as just that: an accident. We were working on the roof sheathing all day without incident. We were careful and finished one side of the house by 1:30.

After lunch we started on the other side, which is tricky due to the walkout area being 10 feet deeper than the area in front of the house. We started in the loft and put up several sheets. We decided that due to the added height (depth) on this side we should bring all the sheets up on the roof and set them on roof jacks. That way we wouldn't need to go all the way down for each sheet. We did that and continued sheathing the lowest row. When we got near the end, we put a full sheet on the end over the outlookers and left a space for a cut piece. Laurie cut the piece and we brought it up into position. It was going to be the final piece of the night as it was getting dark. I was on the scaffold, Laurie was on the loft and Darren was on the step ladder in the kitchen area. We positioned the piece and I nailed in my corner while Laurie and Darren held it in place. Then Darren when up into the loft to nail in the other side and that's when he fell. The ladder slipped out from under him I think. I shouted down to him "are you alright?" "Nope, I broke my arm" he said amongst other words of description. He was is a great deal of pain and we got ice on it and put him in the truck and took him to the hospital. The wrist was visibly misaligned and Darren said he heard and felt it break. The hospital staff was kind and efficient as far as I could tell. They looked at him right away, cut off his glove and shirt and sweatshirt. "Aw that's gross!" Darren said when he took a good look at his wrist all askew. He is a tough one. He is not the biggest or strongest Post brother, but he is definitely tough. He didn't complain at all. He is allergic to Codeine, so he couldn't have Demerol or Percoset for pain. They gave him Motrin as he refused the morphine. He was mostly concerned about when he could eat because it was late and we missed dinner. The orthopedist was called in to set the bone. Darren got a local anaesthetic and they manipulated the wrist (ouch) to realign the joint, cast it and sent him for x-rays. Unfortunately, the doctor wasn't satisfied with the alignment and Darren has to go to his orthopedist and have it realigned probably with surgery and a plate or pin. I can't put into words how upset I am that this has happened. I means a lot to me when someone takes time away from their life to come help me. To leave in pieces is devastating. I hope he heals quickly and with no complications.