Customer Down! Ouch

[Jaygti]

First a bit of background. 
I got a phone call from a regular customer at the end of November, asking if I could come a week early as he was about to put his Christmas decorations up. 
he’s a decent customer and pays a decent price, so I did it one morning on the way past. 
As I was leaving he said that he was laying a new drive in the new year, so he’d ring when it was done ,so we could get back to normal. 
 

Since then- nothing. 
 

It turns out he was up a tree cutting down a branch, and the branch he was on broke. 
He landed on his neck?. He’s been in hospital for the last three months , he’s had 3 heart attacks , he’s paralysed from the neck down and can barely speak. 
 

We all take chances at times , and usually get away with it. 
just every so often our stupidity comes back and bites us. 
 

glad I’m not a Trad cleaner anymore. 

 

[swc1]

First a bit of background. 
I got a phone call from a regular customer at the end of November, asking if I could come a week early as he was about to put his Christmas decorations up. 
he’s a decent customer and pays a decent price, so I did it one morning on the way past. 
As I was leaving he said that he was laying a new drive in the new year, so he’d ring when it was done ,so we could get back to normal. 
 

Since then- nothing. 
 

It turns out he was up a tree cutting down a branch, and the branch he was on broke. 
He landed on his neck?. He’s been in hospital for the last three months , he’s had 3 heart attacks , he’s paralysed from the neck down and can barely speak. 
 

We all take chances at times , and usually get away with it. 
just every so often our stupidity comes back and bites us. 
 

glad I’m not a Trad cleaner anymore. 

Thats sad to hear. I feel for him and his family. 

 

[Davy G]

First a bit of background. 
I got a phone call from a regular customer at the end of November, asking if I could come a week early as he was about to put his Christmas decorations up. 
he’s a decent customer and pays a decent price, so I did it one morning on the way past. 
As I was leaving he said that he was laying a new drive in the new year, so he’d ring when it was done ,so we could get back to normal. 
 

Since then- nothing. 
 

It turns out he was up a tree cutting down a branch, and the branch he was on broke. 
He landed on his neck?. He’s been in hospital for the last three months , he’s had 3 heart attacks , he’s paralysed from the neck down and can barely speak. 
 

We all take chances at times , and usually get away with it. 
just every so often our stupidity comes back and bites us. 
 

glad I’m not a Trad cleaner anymore. 

A good friend of mine had a serious ladder accident last year while emptying gutters. The bottom of the ladder slipped away. He slid down with it and somehow landed on the patio in a tangle with the ladder and a big earthen flower pot. He came round dazed on his back looking up and said to himself "Oh look! The air ambulance! I wonder what that's doing round here?" They took him to hospital and he was in for weeks. He fractured his back and his knee and banged his head. He can only walk very short distances and is in constant pain. When he will be fit for work is unknown. We need to be so careful with ladders.

 

[Part Timer]

A good friend of mine had a serious ladder accident last year while emptying gutters. The bottom of the ladder slipped away. He slid down with it and somehow landed on the patio in a tangle with the ladder and a big earthen flower pot

@Dave Bdid virtually this exactly, broke the flower pot and walked away. 

 

[windowsurfer]

That sounds horrendous, poor guy. 

 

[chris clean]

Poor guys those stories defiantely highlight how we gotta stay focused up ladders. It's scary how easy an injury can happen though I knew a guy once in an old job who stomped off a curb slipped slightly tearing his Achilles and could walk atall for 3 months and was still havingbphusio for the pain many months later. If he had been self emploed window cleaner I reckon that would of been the best part of a year before he would of been able to think about working again.

 

[Deleted member 7446]

A good friend of mine had a serious ladder accident last year while emptying gutters. The bottom of the ladder slipped away. He slid down with it and somehow landed on the patio in a tangle with the ladder and a big earthen flower pot. He came round dazed on his back looking up and said to himself "Oh look! The air ambulance! I wonder what that's doing round here?" They took him to hospital and he was in for weeks. He fractured his back and his knee and banged his head. He can only walk very short distances and is in constant pain. When he will be fit for work is unknown. We need to be so careful with ladders.

Poor chap. That's i feel daily. Constant pain that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy by being pinned into a squashed car by a 44 ton truck carrying steel shelving 

As I've previously mentioned I hardly use ladders but if I do I carry a host of key safety items.

Rubber ladder mat with backstop that I made

2x circus tent pegs and ratchet straps 

Various lengths of rope

Better to be over safe than paralysed