How did you lose it?

[ctom87]

I'm watching a YouTube video right now and a guy with 9.75 fingers is making something. My mind wandered... If you've lost or partially lost a digit, how'd you lose it?

I have 10 fingernails for now, so can't tell any stories. But I've had some surprising moments with power tools that have made my heart stop for a second.

[txtimetravler]

The breaking point got em all

[hully1029]

My grandfather lost half his thumb on a drilling rig back in the day. He got lazy and the operator was new, and got it caught between pieces of 2 7/8 drill stem during a connection. Half his thumb is still in the bottom of some hole in west Texas.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

[Geezy Rider]

Changing the shackles on my tandem axle stock trailer, I sheared about a half inch off of the end of my ring finger on my left hand.
I had both axles dropped, the shackles changed out and both ends of the leaf springs attached. All that was left was to attach the middle pivot arm bracket. This requires raising the pivot assembly up into the bracket, lifting the axles off the ground and compressing the leaf springs. So, laying on my back and with everything I’ve got, I raise the pivot assembly up into the bracket with my left hand and stab a large screwdriver into the hole in the bracket to hold everything in place. Holding the screwdriver in my right hand, I tried to put the bolt in with my left hand from the backside of the bracket. Well the holes weren’t lined up and I couldn’t get the bolt in but I couldn’t tell where the mismatch was, so holding the bolt with the first two fingers and thumb, I put my ring finger in the bolt hole to find the mismatch so I could adjust the screwdriver and get it all lined up. Well, the screwdriver slipped and everything, both axles, leaf springs and pivot assembly fell to the ground. I was a little peeved because I wasn’t sure that I had the strength to lift that whole thing up again that evening. As I got ready to give it another try, I noticed some red on the end of my finger and the nail had been clipped really short. Hmmm…I must’ve nicked myself and didn’t even feel it. When I looked a little closer, I saw a white spot in the middle of the red at the end of the finger and realized that it was more than a nick. Oh crap! I sheared the end of my finger off.
The doctor at the ER spent five hours rebuilding the end of that finger. He had to remove the rest of the nail. Clip the bone back a ways. Then remove the skin on the finger and reattach it to where the nail had been and stretch it back in place to stitch it up. That doctor did a great job and nobody even notices it.
I’ll tell you what though, when that nerve block wore off, I felt everything that doc did to that finger. My lord that hurt. I’ve done a lot of damage to my body over the years but that was some of the worst pain I’ve experienced.

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by Geezy Rider

Changing the shackles on my tandem axle stock trailer, I sheared about a half inch off of the end of my ring finger on my left hand.
I had both axles dropped, the shackles changed out and both ends of the leaf springs attached. All that was left was to attach the middle pivot arm bracket. This requires raising the pivot assembly up into the bracket, lifting the axles off the ground and compressing the leaf springs. So, laying on my back and with everything I’ve got, I raise the pivot assembly up into the bracket with my left hand and stab a large screwdriver into the hole in the bracket to hold everything in place. Holding the screwdriver in my right hand, I tried to put the bolt in with my left hand from the backside of the bracket. Well the holes weren’t lined up and I couldn’t get the bolt in but I couldn’t tell where the mismatch was, so holding the bolt with the first two fingers and thumb, I put my ring finger in the bolt hole to find the mismatch so I could adjust the screwdriver and get it all lined up. Well, the screwdriver slipped and everything, both axles, leaf springs and pivot assembly fell to the ground. I was a little peeved because I wasn’t sure that I had the strength to lift that whole thing up again that evening. As I got ready to give it another try, I noticed some red on the end of my finger and the nail had been clipped really short. Hmmm…I must’ve nicked myself and didn’t even feel it. When I looked a little closer, I saw a white spot in the middle of the red at the end of the finger and realized that it was more than a nick. Oh crap! I sheared the end of my finger off.
The doctor at the ER spent five hours rebuilding the end of that finger. He had to remove the rest of the nail. Clip the bone back a ways. Then remove the skin on the finger and reattach it to where the nail had been and stretch it back in place to stitch it up. That doctor did a great job and nobody even notices it.
I’ll tell you what though, when that nerve block wore off, I felt everything that doc did to that finger. My lord that hurt. I’ve done a lot of damage to my body over the years but that was some of the worst pain I’ve experienced.

Great description, I could see every move.

Still got all my limbs and their appendages , but there was a deerlease chore day and a sharpshooter stab that should have cost me at least 4 fingers.
Millimeters away on that one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RascalArms]

I've had a few close calls but thankfully still have all my digits and not walking around all Johnny Depp-like right now.

[Sackett]

Well, it all started with this chick at a bar I met named Lorena…….

[bboswell]

Team Roping

[eastover53]

I work in a hospital, and I have seen a BUNCH of fingers cut off. Table saws, trailer hitches, even had a guy walk in with his hand stuck in a meat tenderizer.

[MontagueMech]

Think it was in January or February when everything iced over. We had multiple tractor problems and needed to get round bales unrolled for the cattle. I finally got one mechanical problem solved and proceeded to hook up a hay in roller. The temperature was in the single digits with hard gusting winds. It was miserable outside. When it’s cold like that outside your body gets stiff. Well I was having difficulty getting the unrolled hooked up to the unroller. I rolled a floor jack up under to try and simplify things. But in the process the jack slipped and a finger got crushed. It turned purple. Lost the fingernail immediately. Im not sure if the cold weather makes an injury like that hurt worse or not but it definitely was painful. Thought I might lose that finger. Thankfully it healed up.

[eastover53]

.

[kurt68]

Originally Posted by eastover53

.

Ouch, rub some dirt on it.

[ram04]

My Grandpaw lost his right arm up to his shoulder on a oil well, pressure blew out and rip most of it off. He walked a mile and collapsed in a ditch another guy at another rig saw it and drove to find out what happened. He passed paw paw once in the ditch, on his way back by, paw paw had enough strength to lift his good arm up so the guy could see him. Rushed him to the hospital, had to be shocked back to life 3 times, the nurse was the one that told the doc to shock him one more time and he came back. I remember meeting the fella that stopped and picked him up and the nurse was a local lady I use to swim at her house. It's amazing what that man could still do with just one arm.

Crazy thing, my uncle a few years later had a valve blow out on another rig and the valve handle blew through his stomach, he is partially paralyzed on one leg. He still has the valve handle in a jar in his closet lol.

[Sparkles]

At the ripe old age of 15 I thought it would be a good idea to pull weeds with my 4 wheeler and a nylon rope.
For some reason my wise self decided I had better wrap the rope around the middle, ring and pinky finger on my left hand, I guess for some extra pulling power.
The rope got wrapped around the axle of the 4 wheeler. As I started to pull the rope tightened around axle which in turn tightened around my 3 fingers.
Ended up breaking the ring and middle finger pretty badly and popped the end of my pinky off.
I grew up on 165 acres and was in a pasture Edge not very close to the house.
Luckily my dad heard my calls for help, came and cut me free and rushed me to ER with the tip of my pinky in a cup of ice.
Dr was able to reattach it but it’s crooked as sin and finger nail is weird still 30 years later.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[7sdad]

Not me but I did watch my sister lose a finger when I was about 7 years old and I'm 63 now and she was about 17. We had a big red ant mound out back and she thought she could burn them. She took a gas can and poured some on a rag that was stuck in the ant mound hole. Well as she put the gas can down she left a trail of gas from the hole to the can. She then threw a match over to the rag and the fire when straight to the can and blew the bottom off and sent it flying at her. She put her hand up and it cut her ring finger off at the joint. I remember my mom and grandmother putting her into an old 53 pickup and taking her to the hospital. She was in the band at high school and a few days later a bunch of the band members came out and searched all around looking for her finger but never found it.

[Snowflake Killa]

Oil field

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[Drycreek3189]

Didn’t lose it, but mangled my index finger on my right hand on a table saw at about twenty years old. The only evidence of it now is a funny looking nail and the very end doesn’t have much sensitivity. That’s my trigger finger too

[Low Fence]

Father in laws ring finger is jacked up

Mossberg shotgun. Fired… pumped… shell fired out bottom.

I’ve carried guy to er with finger in a bag from table saw running down bottom of board towards him

Also took a neighbor to er with his finger still in the guard of a skill saw

I’m lucky enough (careful enough) so far I can count to 10 still

[S-3 Ranch]

I fell on a broken 7-up bottle ( the returnable kind) severed off my ring finger, luckily Dr was able to sew it back on! Wife doesn’t like that I don’t wear a wedding ring, but with the scar it’s not happening.

Know lots of iron workers missing finger tips

[Nova]

My uncle used to work at a chevy dealership in the 70's. As a truck was leaving the service bay he slapped the mirror of a truck that was passing by. Caught his wedding ring and popped his finger right off.

[Big pig]

Thought about this yesterday when my wife and I were talking team roping and losing digits.

Of all the dumb things i have done with tools and saws in 63 yrs, I still have all of my fingers and toes. It May happen today, But I sure hope not.

Interesting thread.

[HUNTIN HARD]

High lift jack!!!

[Throwin Darts]

Popped my thumb completely backwards and sent the bone through the skin after hitting a hawk on my bicycle.

[Phillip Fields]

Lost my right leg below the knee to a motorcycle wreck in 1968.

[txhoghunter2]

My dad tripped and fell into a reel mower my aunt was pushing when he was a kid. Lost the tip of his pinky.

[Hunting4fun]

Remember when the bus driver in school told you to keep your hands and arms inside the windows at all times.....

[Sparkles]

Originally Posted by Hunting4fun

Remember when the bus driver in school told you to keep your hands and arms inside the windows at all times.....

Oh boy…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RedHossO3]

Spent some time peddling nail guns so called on framing carpenters - amazed how many had hacked off body parts operating a skil saw - just always thought I would have felt/sensed something before it got to that point - gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

[Goldeneagle]

I've come close a few times over the years. Working in a machine shop, I've seen several fingers lost over the years. Worst was a gal that lost four on her right hand all at one time. Got her hand into a die press.

[HoustonHunter94]

Best friend from highschool popped off his ring finger by getting wedding ring caught on the last screw in step while climbing out of his deer stand. Went to jump down off the last step, ring got caught and popped it right off.

I cut a bit of the end of my thumb off a few years ago just cutting veggies for fajitas. Still have no feeling on the end there.

[jerp]

I saw a kid lose three digits to a planer in high school shop class. Saw a fellow roustabout lose a thumb between drill collars we were stacking. I've had two friends lose fingers in table saws - I get a little nervous every time I use mine which is probably good because it keeps me hyper-focused. I'll bet more fingers have been lost to table saws than anything else

[Burnadell]

Originally Posted by Nova

My uncle used to Not mine, and I don’t know the story, but… don’t do that!!!

I work at a chevy dealership in the 70's. As a truck was leaving the service bay he slapped the mirror of a truck that was passing by. Caught his wedding ring and popped his finger right off.

Was this yours? Don’t do that!!!

[Calitexembalmer]

****!! That hurts me. Man!!!

[SmTx]

Glad I clicked on this thread before diving into my lunch

[Ouch]

Bicycle chain/sprocket

[7sdad]

This has to be the only Thread were pictures are not necessary.

[Goldeneagle]

Originally Posted by Ouch

Bicycle chain/sprocket

7 year old kid next door to us did this.


Worst thing I believe I've ever seen was a guy get pulled into a lathe by his hair.

[Dale Moser]

My grandad was a road crew mechanic. He had a big loader bucket on blocks welding on it when a block exploded and it fell on his right index (trigger) finger, and mashed most of it off. He used to tell my sister and I that he was picking his nose and a booger ate it off. He killed a big old buck a few days later.

[Hogmauler]

In her bedroom after her parents went to the SPJST Hall!

[Sackett]

.

[Lone_Wolf]

The old ball and chain got ****** when I started drinking in Australia during the filming of a particular franchise film I've been involved in. She threw a bottle of vodka at me, severing the top of my finger.....

[Dusty8186]

18 years in a machine shop. somehow I still have all my digits.

Worst I ever saw was when I was umpiring a 16u select baseball game. Kid fouled one off, little girl (3 or 4 years old) had her fingers wrapped around the fence, ball hit her & popped her ring finger off. The poor kid who fouled it off was crying just as hard as the little girl. 15 years later I will still stop a game to tell kids to get their fingers off the fence.

[smokeless]

Mom lost the end of her thumb to a meat grinder.

[bklem]

Originally Posted by Burnadell

Was this yours? Don’t do that!!!


Attachment 1089823

Attachment 1089824

Nope-that’s me.

[laredoarcher]

Originally Posted by 7sdad

This has to be the only Thread were pictures are not necessary.

Lol

[bklem]

Since the GOF outed me I’ll tell the story. Getting off a lease down by Benavidas and big tripod winch-up feeder came undone at top. 18’ drill stem pipe about to fall on buddies head and probably kill him. I stuck my hand up to catch it and it hit top of ring finger. Split it in two spots but didn’t break skin. Saturday morning and we still had lots of work to do. Whiskey is a decent pain killer but not like in the movies. Went to Dr on Tuesday and surgery that afternoon. He wouldn’t amputate which was stupid. Tried to save it but it never worked right again. Three years later I had it cut off. Best thing ever. No issues at all except going through drive thrus and trying to get my change!

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by Hogmauler

In her bedroom after her parents went to the SPJST Hall!

Interesting. You get a finger bit off in the may-lay?

I remember a father's firm hand shake with a mean look in his eye when I met him at the door. Didn't slow me down one bit.
I'm sure there would have been something cut off had he been aware of such going's on under his roof.

[Huntin Addict]

So most of these are about fingers. I still have all of my fingers but I can only count to 19.
New Years Day 2000
The old man wanted to chop some fire wood for an upcoming cold snap. Being the tool sharpening expert of the family I sharpened that axe to the best of my ability, you could shave your arm hair with that thing.
Once, we got down to the ranch, pops cut the first huisache down and cut it into logs. I grabbed the closest log and put it on the stump and prepared to swing. It should have been a sign that thing were fixing to go bad when the first two swings were glancing blows with one landing in-between my feet. The third swing was the winner.
I was wearing a brand new pair of Red Wing lace up steel toed boots. The axe entered my boot just behind the steel toe and stopped at the first brad of the laces. I glanced down and flipped the axe out of my hand, picked my foot up and spread the leather apart. Pops, asked "How Bad?" My response was "Yep we need to go!!"

We took my boot off and wrapped my mothers jacket around my foot and off to the hospital we go. Basically, to shorten the story, I split the pinky toe on my left foot in half and busted up the digit next to it. The doctor simply removed the pinky toe.

SO it you are ever at the beach and you see tracks that go 4, 5 - 4, 5 - 4, 5 - 4, 5 you will know I was there. LOL

Signed

Captain Nine Toes!

[Tejas Wildlife]

Originally Posted by Burnadell

Was this yours? Don’t do that!!!


Attachment 1089823

Attachment 1089824

How about a warning before that 2nd photo?!?! Full body shivers!!

[IowaHunter]

I’m waiting for “Just the Tip” to chime in and post his photo with the doc!