Your worst theatre injury
- Thread starterTechiegirly
- Start date
Ironically in 22 years of tech I've never had a tech-related injury, though I have banged myself up good when I was acting -- once, in a chase scene, when my foot slipped on the edge of a platform and I buried the corner of that platform into my shin, and once in a fight scene where a punch and a block of that punch were off by a split second. The pinky finger on my right hand...well, it used to be straight 
Now it's a reminder to me to rehearse the living s*** out of any physical scene.
Now it's a reminder to me to rehearse the living s*** out of any physical scene.Ironically in 22 years of tech I've never had a tech-related injury, though I have banged myself up good when I was acting -- once, in a chase scene, when my foot slipped on the edge of a platform and I buried the corner of that platform into my shin, and once in a fight scene where a punch and a block of that punch were off by a split second. The pinky finger on my right hand...well, it used to be straight
Did you do quarter, half, three-quarter?
Not that this is precisely what this thread is asking... but any advice for an accident prone kid? Last show he banged his head into our sound storage cabinent and got a few stitches on his forehead, this show he fell off a ladder (possible wrist injury, i'm not sure, it happened today). I keep trying to get him to cool it a bit, because I think he gets hurt because he's very... well, I like to call him a NAFOD [No Apparent Fear Of Death (or Danger)]. Any advice?
-edit- it's official, fractured wrist.
-edit- it's official, fractured wrist.
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Only use electricians that don't do so well with heights?
(In all seriousness, I just need some time to adjust to the safety level of some environments. Not that I spaz attack or something as in a fear of heights, I just won't work in environments outside of my comfort level, though after assimilating to them, it's never really that bad. Though I've seen someone in a large regional theatre bound eight feet away from the catwalk on top of cheesboroughed pipes, while dodging load bearing roof support, I'm not about to take chase. Now with some fall arrest in there, it doesn't really matter now, does it?)
Back to topic, I'm not sure there's a good answer. If these incidents don't make him think twice about doing X or Y, I'm not sure what will... give him a car, see how long he lasts.
deadlygopher
Member
I'm not sure I want to publicly admit this but I was on a ladder hanging an ellipse in our black box. Then I was on the floor. (10 foot fall) Thankfully the safety cable was on the light when I went down. Not a good day. I wasn't really hurt though.
CynicWhisper
Member
Of all the various things I've carried and worked on, my downfall was a **** folding table. I was just putting it away and the kid at the other end of the table didn't foot it and the table slammed right onto my foot. Now, it wasn't so bad until a week later when I did a 17 hour load-in/out for a huge new year's eve party. Only during the last hour of the load-out did I begin to realize that doing 17 hours of lifting speakers heavier than me up and down three flights of stairs on a hairline fracture makes the average foot exceedingly unhappy. So a "probably bruised" foot went to a "severely broken and surgically titaniumed foot very quickly thanks to a **** table from the theatre christmas party. *eyeroll* But, if anyone's wondering, I did find a way to climb ladders with a light in my hand even with the broken foot and my biceps are significantly larger than before.
Cynic: 1 Universe: 0
Cynic: 1 Universe: 0
Einarin
Member
I wasn't really injured in this, but it was a crazy story with almost a lot of injury.
My third show ever, we were replacing house lights. One had it's base unseated. Our house is a suspended tile celing with the catwalks and roof above. I decided that it would be a good idea to make a loop of steel cable and hang it from the rebar supporting the roof. I got the cable hung, and crouching in the loop set to work on the light. I was just done fixing it and was reassembling it when I shifted and lost my grip on the cable. The story is that I fell back, the celing held me for a second, and then I broke through. One of my feet slipped through the loop and it wrapped tight around my ankle, so the next thing I remember is looking at the stage upside down. I realized what had happened and reached up, grabbing the cable with my hands. A couple of other techies were nearby, and got a ladder next to me that I got on and climbed down. My only injury was a slight scrape to one pinky from the cable.
Moral of the story, don't ever put an actor in charge of lighting crew, he'll leave for food while the techies work and something bad will happen. Put someone responsible in charge, otherwise the new techies will always do the dumbest thing possible.
My third show ever, we were replacing house lights. One had it's base unseated. Our house is a suspended tile celing with the catwalks and roof above. I decided that it would be a good idea to make a loop of steel cable and hang it from the rebar supporting the roof. I got the cable hung, and crouching in the loop set to work on the light. I was just done fixing it and was reassembling it when I shifted and lost my grip on the cable. The story is that I fell back, the celing held me for a second, and then I broke through. One of my feet slipped through the loop and it wrapped tight around my ankle, so the next thing I remember is looking at the stage upside down. I realized what had happened and reached up, grabbing the cable with my hands. A couple of other techies were nearby, and got a ladder next to me that I got on and climbed down. My only injury was a slight scrape to one pinky from the cable.
Moral of the story, don't ever put an actor in charge of lighting crew, he'll leave for food while the techies work and something bad will happen. Put someone responsible in charge, otherwise the new techies will always do the dumbest thing possible.
Eboy87
Well-Known Member
Einarin, that reminded me of a story my very good friend related to me. He was working a show in high school one time. Part way through act I, a lamp burned out on one of the wash lights at FOH positoin. THe problem is, there really wasn't very good access to those lights, and that light was needed badly. So, he climbes up there (with the audience in their seats completely oblivious mind you) to change the builb out.
To make a long story short, you needed a scissors lift or Genie to get to this position, and while I have no idea how he managed to get up there, he was in a climbing harness (of the lower-body rock climbing variety), clipped to the bar, trying to change out the lamp of a S4, with his legs wrapped around said bar to keep him in place. Well, he lost his grip and took a 3 foot plunge to the end of his safety line, and wound up hanging there until the end of the act, a good two or three numbers.
He's lucky in so many ways; that he clipped himself in, that he had some kind of harness, and, while it's better than none, he's also lucky that he didn't tumble upside down and fall out of his harness. And no one in the audience got hit with anything (which in itself is a miracle).
Of course, he told me this after I asked him to come in and help for a musical review I was running (I was crew chief and didn't have enough people). I made sure he didn't go in the catwalks unsupervised.
So once again, while no one got hurt, the potential for serious injury was there had Lady Luck not been watching over his shoulder.
To make a long story short, you needed a scissors lift or Genie to get to this position, and while I have no idea how he managed to get up there, he was in a climbing harness (of the lower-body rock climbing variety), clipped to the bar, trying to change out the lamp of a S4, with his legs wrapped around said bar to keep him in place. Well, he lost his grip and took a 3 foot plunge to the end of his safety line, and wound up hanging there until the end of the act, a good two or three numbers.
He's lucky in so many ways; that he clipped himself in, that he had some kind of harness, and, while it's better than none, he's also lucky that he didn't tumble upside down and fall out of his harness. And no one in the audience got hit with anything (which in itself is a miracle).
Of course, he told me this after I asked him to come in and help for a musical review I was running (I was crew chief and didn't have enough people). I made sure he didn't go in the catwalks unsupervised.
So once again, while no one got hurt, the potential for serious injury was there had Lady Luck not been watching over his shoulder.
Well, one way to deal with an accident prone kid is to wait. Kids, especially middle school through Highschool, are on average much more accident prone as they are growing like weeds. Tripping, head bumping, loss of balance, over extenision of joints, and under estimating strength required are very common. Try to reduce his exposure to those jobs where he's more likely to hurt himself. < Silly I know> If it's just plain recklessness on his part then you have to go the other route and have a serious sit down talk. The hardest thing in the world is trying to convince a teenager thet he's not immortal. < Yes harder than childbirth, and kidney stones, gall stones and a vasectomy all rolled into one.> You will simply have to spell it out that he has a choice, put a lid on it or quit participating with the rest of the class.
Wait, saw blades don't just bounce off me?
Speaking of dangerous situations, the quintessential "attractive/popular/rich/stupid girl" and the grade "jester" both using a bandsaw, at the same time, with no training. I was on my toes.
While I and those around me have for the most part escaped serious injury, there are certain situations that always put me on edge. Working above others is one of my biggest triggers. While I end up doing it quite often (even above the heads of 1,000 people), it never sits well with me. I had a bit of a jolt today while working above actors which reminds me how easy it is to slip up. Luckily what I thought was falling debris turned out to be the whip of an instrument falling off the pipe.
I had a kid ram a very heavy an very large set piece into my foot, fracturing it. I bruised my ribs something nasty working in the catwalks. My fault, tripped on a cable a fell on one of the bars, i still had to focus and gel all the lekos which required me to lean over said bar. It was a very painful night for me. I also sliced my back open on a vetilation duct in the catwalks and have suffered from several hemp splinters. I've encountered many splinters (even a seven inch one through my foot) and I have to say that hemp is the worst only because its so thin, painful an impossible to get out.
I'm with punktech on this one, metal splinters are the worst.
As aforementioned, they are a pain.
Hey, by the way, apparently I missed a splinter, because I now have one in my thumb. There is no pain or discomfort, but it is completely healed over, is it worth digging out?
Charlie, don't be stupid.
Cutting skin is for surgeons.
If she's not a plastic surgeon I wouldn't suggest it.Funny you mention that: my mother is an MD.
I have scars to prove that many GP's can't stitch for anything.
