Back in December i was working on a show in our black box when the roll door got stuck on the 10 foot platform in front of it. The stairs were not in yet and i was in a hurry to go home so i grabed a ladder to go up and fix it. It turned out that someone had split and extension ladder in half and i grabbed the part without the feet.(the rest of this is from a third party as i don't remeber what happened) When i got to the top and went to get on the platform the base slide out and i fell, caught my self on the platform, but smashed my face on the platform and flinched. This threw me backwards and i ended up landing shoulder and head first on the ladder laying on the floor. The result was a ride in the ambulance to be treated for a sevear concussion, 5 stitches on the frore head, and 10 on in the scalp.
Your worst theatre injury
- Thread starterTechiegirly
- Start date
MarshallPope
Well-Known Member
Luckily, I have not suffered any major injuries in the theatre, but my worst one has sort of an interesting story.
Last year we were striking the set after the opera, Gianni Schicchi.I was going down the fly rail, flying everything out so we would have enough floor space to move everything. I got to the painted drop, which was awkwardly weighted anyway, since it was on the same batten as a set of legs. The problem was that the drop was shorter than the legs, so they were pooled on the floor. I'm still not sure exactly how it happened, but somehow the line was arbor heavy. I started flying it out, and got it going a little too fast. (stupid thing #1) I stopped it, and was lifted so that I was standing on the fly rail. I figured it coudn't get any worse, so I continued to fly it out, while still standing on the rail. (Stupid thing #2) It got going a little too fast again (#3) so that I was standing on a support brace about 6-8" above the deck. It was still moving, so I tried to find a place to hold on to. The first thing I got ahold of was the the track for the carriage. (#4) About two seconds later, the carriage finds my hand, and my fingers just happen to be in the path of the metal wheels, and were quickly run over. I grabbed the weight rods as soon as I could reach them, and slowly lowered it the rest of the way. I was able to get a nearby tech's attention (He is really quite useless. Just saying.) and got him to lock the line. I climbed down and found a bandaid and finished the strike.
Damage report: a cut on my pointer finger and the crap torn out of my middle finger, along with a black fingernail for a couple of months. It could have been much worse, but it definitely hurt, and taught me a lesson.
Last year we were striking the set after the opera, Gianni Schicchi.I was going down the fly rail, flying everything out so we would have enough floor space to move everything. I got to the painted drop, which was awkwardly weighted anyway, since it was on the same batten as a set of legs. The problem was that the drop was shorter than the legs, so they were pooled on the floor. I'm still not sure exactly how it happened, but somehow the line was arbor heavy. I started flying it out, and got it going a little too fast. (stupid thing #1) I stopped it, and was lifted so that I was standing on the fly rail. I figured it coudn't get any worse, so I continued to fly it out, while still standing on the rail. (Stupid thing #2) It got going a little too fast again (#3) so that I was standing on a support brace about 6-8" above the deck. It was still moving, so I tried to find a place to hold on to. The first thing I got ahold of was the the track for the carriage. (#4) About two seconds later, the carriage finds my hand, and my fingers just happen to be in the path of the metal wheels, and were quickly run over. I grabbed the weight rods as soon as I could reach them, and slowly lowered it the rest of the way. I was able to get a nearby tech's attention (He is really quite useless. Just saying.) and got him to lock the line. I climbed down and found a bandaid and finished the strike.
Damage report: a cut on my pointer finger and the crap torn out of my middle finger, along with a black fingernail for a couple of months. It could have been much worse, but it definitely hurt, and taught me a lesson.
gcpsoundlight
Active Member
Burning yourself on a pofile is always good...... especially the 1k ones! :-0
This one is more humorous but still dangerous
A number of years back my husband was giving a presentation using a large 12x12 fast fold screen that the house av department had set up in the hotel. In the middle of the presentation he started to notice that the audience was getting very very intent on his presentation. He turned to see the screen starting to fall over (they AV house had forgotten to lock and sand bag the stand) and JUST made it out from under the screen before it came crashing down
Sharyn
A number of years back my husband was giving a presentation using a large 12x12 fast fold screen that the house av department had set up in the hotel. In the middle of the presentation he started to notice that the audience was getting very very intent on his presentation. He turned to see the screen starting to fall over (they AV house had forgotten to lock and sand bag the stand) and JUST made it out from under the screen before it came crashing down
Sharyn
Haven't done too badly overall.
My freshman year of college--first two weeks in fact--didn't see the 3" screw sticking out of a table I was moving and sunk it nice and deep into the palm of my hand. Five minutes later I got a crash course in the delayed response of the vagus nerve to subcutaneous manipulation. Freaked the hell out of the TD when I passed out while cleaning it out and got an ambulance ride to the hospital.
A couple months later and unrelated to the above I was diagnosed with an L5-S1 herniation after a particularly grueling show. Had an absolutely miserable six months of various treatment before hitting on the right physical therapy combo that finally got me moving again. Still have nuisance-level sciatica and low back pain, but I've learned to manage it.
My freshman year of college--first two weeks in fact--didn't see the 3" screw sticking out of a table I was moving and sunk it nice and deep into the palm of my hand. Five minutes later I got a crash course in the delayed response of the vagus nerve to subcutaneous manipulation. Freaked the hell out of the TD when I passed out while cleaning it out and got an ambulance ride to the hospital.
A couple months later and unrelated to the above I was diagnosed with an L5-S1 herniation after a particularly grueling show. Had an absolutely miserable six months of various treatment before hitting on the right physical therapy combo that finally got me moving again. Still have nuisance-level sciatica and low back pain, but I've learned to manage it.
It was my birthday, SM'ing a low budget one-woman show produced in a studio. LD was also the LX Tech and doing some quick focus notes before running off to a paying LD gig. Unbeknownst to me, she left her wrench on top of a 6ft step ladder which I moved during my preset. Wrench connected with my forehead & blood gushed...just as the Director, Actress & admin staff walked in with my birthday cake & singing Happy Birthday.
Les
Well-Known Member
Oooh... OUCH. Leaving a wrench (or anything) on a ladder is a HUGE no-no. That will get someone fired in a lot of places. Glad you're okay!
ptero
Active Member
Well, there was the time I blew up.
I was sitting on the floor having finished loading a 3' long flashpot. It was my own fault - bad communication and poor practice at the time - I saw it ignite at one end. and travel along. kinda slowly...
I was very lucky with just 1st degree burns on my arms and hands - pretty much elbows to fingertips. They shadowed and protected my face. With glasses, eyes were untouched and the nose was a touch red. This was a LONG time ago and yes, proper equipment, practice and protection are long since well implemented.
It all added up to a night admitted and a month at home. Of course with a design due in a few days. A friend came over and he drew instruments as I pointed and we got that next show drawn...
Lasting effects? My nose turns red easily - The Sun and Alcohol will both do it!
I was sitting on the floor having finished loading a 3' long flashpot. It was my own fault - bad communication and poor practice at the time - I saw it ignite at one end. and travel along. kinda slowly...
I was very lucky with just 1st degree burns on my arms and hands - pretty much elbows to fingertips. They shadowed and protected my face. With glasses, eyes were untouched and the nose was a touch red. This was a LONG time ago and yes, proper equipment, practice and protection are long since well implemented.
It all added up to a night admitted and a month at home. Of course with a design due in a few days. A friend came over and he drew instruments as I pointed and we got that next show drawn...
Lasting effects? My nose turns red easily - The Sun and Alcohol will both do it!
edmedmoped
Active Member
Nothing really at the moment, but something really weird happened last year where I dropped a TV on the tip of my finger and I went dizzy and felt sick. That was rather odd seeing as it wasn't that bad an injury...
That lead to me operating my followspot with my finger in a bandage
That lead to me operating my followspot with my finger in a bandage
Haven't had to work with Strands, but I have no idea why the Colortrans have such poor heat management systems (in lekos and fresnels.) Hardly any areas of the fixtures that you can touch without injury, and it's really easy when focusing or changing gobos to brush an arm on the fixture. Even Colortran boards are injury-prone (scraped a finger on the go button border of the Innovator.)
littleowl
Member
masterelectrician2112
Active Member
For me it seems I have cut myself more times than I can remember, but the worst was I decided to be in the show (Guys and Dolls) and took a fall during the Luck Me A Lady number, well, I was kind of pile drived head first into the the deck, which caused me to fracture a vertebra in my neck. Didnt feel a thing, even though I was laying on the stage, ring of people around me and a par 64 work light shining in my face. The only thing missing was the chalk outline. The Doc said I got lucky, I missed by one vertebra from being paralyzed from the neck down. I guess it was not my time yet.
Still have neck trouble from time to time
Sean...
Still have neck trouble from time to time
Sean...
Ah, the above is the same as my worst injury. I was flying a pipe out and, assuming the weight had been adjusted correctly (it had been sitting in for the better part of two weeks) wasn't paying attention. I had one hand loosely holding the rope when I unlocked it, so when it started moving my first instinct was to grab it (the "pipe weight" spray-painted onto our bricks is not accurate, so we often have pipes slightly off-weight).
A very loud crash and a few dropped bits of ceiling tile later, I lost all of the skin off the fingers of my right hand and had the fun task of sheepishly interrupting the TDs dinner to explain what had happened.
Actually, speaking of grabbing things on instinct, one of my friends dropped a saw he was putting away and immediately tried to grab it by the blade. He now has some interesting serrated cuts on his fingers.
