Dear Sirs

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Albany, New York
Posts: 3,275

Dear Sirs:

I am writing to answer your request for additional information about my recent accident. In block #3 of the accident form, I put "trying to do the job alone" as the cause of the accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully, so I trust that the following will suffice.

I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six story building. Upon completing the day's work I discovered that I had about 500 lbs. of bricks remaining. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel, using a pulley which, fortunately, was attached to the building at the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I returned to the roof, swung the barrel out, and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went back to the ground, untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the 500 lbs. of bricks. You will note, in block#11 of the accident report, that I weigh 135 lbs.
Due to my extreme surprise at being pulled from the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded up the side of the building at a rapid rate. At the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was coming down. This explains the fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley.
Fortunately, by this time I had regained presence of mind and was able to hold tight to the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground, with the bottom falling out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed approximately 50 lbs.. I refer you again to my weight in block#11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. At the vicinity of the third floor I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the fractured ankles and lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to reduce the level of injury when I fell into the pile of bricks and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report ,however, that as I lay there on the bricks, in pain, unable to stand, and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost mental control and released the rope. The empty barrel, weighing more than the rope, dropped quickly and broke both my legs.

Sincerely,
(source unknown)