I saw the ambulance and fire truck

rrlund · Dec 3, 2014

Saw them go by yesterday afternoon. I was busy and didn't pay much attention to where they went. A guy got his hand caught in a corn picker just around the corner and to the south. His uncle and I used to hang out together all the time when we were in high school. Must be nobody told him not to do that.
Farm accident

RayP(MI) · Dec 3, 2014

That's sad - lots of farmers came up second to corn pickers over the years. They're just plain dangerous. Gotta shut them off before you get off the tractor - every time...

Brendon Warren · Dec 3, 2014

My Uncle Willis lost his right hand in a corn picker when he was 18. He's now 76. He's lucky it wasn't worse but he's had to live with that mistake for most of his life. It certainly hasn't made things easy for him.

fixerupper · Dec 3, 2014

It can happen so darned fast. Hope he ends up with some function in that hand.Jim

PJH · Dec 3, 2014

A man I worked with was picking corn in a creek bottom while his neighbor was picking on the other side of the creek. Creek was brushy, and visibility was poor, but Don noticed the neighbors machine had been sitting for a while, so he went over to check on him. Found him tangled up in it. Helped get him out, but the man ended up losing his foot. He sure was glad that Don was across the creek from him, and he was afraid he wouldn't notice him in trouble. Woulda been a real long day if Don had pulled out without checking on him.

Bobl1958 · Dec 3, 2014

It must have been easy to do. My neighbor, when I was a kid, had his fingers gone. He had got them caught in a picker or binder. There was no one around so he took his knife and cut his fingers off. Didn't let it stop him from being a great guy, and still worked like he had all ten when he was 80 years old.
Your neighbor was in a bad deal for sure. Hope it turns out ok for him. Bob

gene bender · Dec 3, 2014

There was a farmer in our neighborhood that lost one arm then later lost the other one. They would give him a beer and a straw and lite his cigar.

DaninKansas · Dec 3, 2014

You can lose fingers pretty easy. My older brothers (twins - about 12 at the time) were sliding an argur back into the flighting - one pushing the other guiding it as it slid in. Pushed to hard the worn argur (with an edge like a knife) cut three fingers off of the others hand. He had his pinky and and thumb left. Years later (when we could joke about it) people would say you could finally tell them apart.

rrlund · Dec 3, 2014

He's the first one I've heard of in a long time though. Larry Laux was the last one I remember,and that was probably going on 40 years ago now. He lost two fingers. Floyd Hopkins lost all but his thumb on one hand. Paul Story lost a whole hand. If I remember right,Paul had to use his jackknife and cut his own off to get out. Larry said he braced both feet against the picker to pull himself loose.
I remember Dad telling that Uncle Claude broke a finger in one once. Didn't loose it. He was lucky. He said all he did that time was leave it running while he unhooked a wagon and there was an ear bobbing around on the end of the husking bed. He reached in and swatted it off and the rolls caught his glove.

fixerupper · Dec 3, 2014

A man from our church lost every finger and most of the thumb from one hand in a picker. About all he had left was the palm. It happens fast.

JMS/.MN · Dec 3, 2014

In the mid 80s I rented a farm from a WWII Vet who fought in the Pacific. Made it thru ok, lost his arm in a picker in the 50s. Kept farming the rest of his life, even milking cows while kids were home. Amazing what he could do. But a few careless moments....lifetime of change. Told my kids- if you ever get out of that tractor with a machine running, it"s pitchforks and scoop shovels til you leave home!

Owen Aaland · Dec 3, 2014

Sometimes things you would never think of as being dangerous can get you. I had a neighbor who lost part of his middle finger while feeding small hay bales. One of the twines had gotten caught around the head of a steer and also tangled on his finger. When the steer felt something around his neck he jerked away. It all happens so fast.

smallercrawler · Dec 3, 2014

Met a guy quite a few years ago that had several fingers gone on each hand, and those that were left were akin to sausages in appearance and function. He had been using an overhead hayfork/trolley system to lift loose hay into a mow and his hands became entangled in one of the ropes and were pulled into and partially through a pulley. As I recall he was in his teen years when the accident happened.

Matt in Mich · Dec 3, 2014

Neighbor lost some fingers in the husking rolls when I was a kit. Couple of years later he lost some on the other hand the same way. Just got to wonder about some people.

JerryS · Dec 3, 2014

Bet they disappeared when he needed to off-load rid of that beer.

buickanddeere · Dec 4, 2014

(quoted from post at 18:47:32 12/03/14) Sometimes things you would never think of as being dangerous can get you. I had a neighbor who lost part of his middle finger while feeding small hay bales. One of the twines had gotten caught around the head of a steer and also tangled on his finger. When the steer felt something around his neck he jerked away. It all happens so fast.

Wedding rings and watches are a real hazard too.

farmboy48 · Dec 4, 2014

remember when I was a kid about 60 years ago, Dad was connecting battery on MM U, battery under gas tank, he shorted his wristwatch to sediment bowl and battery, burned the devil out of his wrist, fortunately no fire, just a lot of cussing. I learned that day, and I always take my watch off when I am working on something like that, even today.

I saw the ambulance and fire truck

rrlund

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RayP(MI)

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Brendon Warren

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fixerupper

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PJH

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Bobl1958

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gene bender

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DaninKansas

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rrlund

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fixerupper

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JMS/.MN

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Owen Aaland

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smallercrawler

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Matt in Mich

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JerryS

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buickanddeere

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farmboy48

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