My uncle fell out of a tree.
 

So, my uncle took a dive today...

He was cutting branches or whatever.

I don't know exactly what happened, apparently he fell off the ladder.
He doesn't remember it himself either.
A seven meter dive!
Result: He broke his back in three places... and a gash in his head.

The doctors say he was very lucky and he'll probably walk again...

What the F was he thinking?
Seven meters high on a ladder with no safety precautions whatsoever...
I mean seriously, he must have had a guardian angel the size of a fu(kin' JUMBO JET!
My grandmother is almost 90 years old, sweetest granny in the whole world, she would have been devastated...

I'm glad he'll probably get away clean, but I am sure going to set him straight!
Safety one on one, everybody with half a brain would not have gone up that ladder...

Just venting, and urging you guys to think twice when working in or around the house, on your cars...

BE SAFE GUYS!

7 meters isn't really very high if you fall properly.

Clearly, he didn't...

Glad he's ok.

23 feet? that's high..

this stuff takes out tree-stand hunters every year. glad he's going to be ok!

You either don't know the metric system, or are insane!

If the grandmother is 90, I'd guess the uncle is at least in his 60s.

23 feet is "very high" for anyone to fall, but is likely fatal a high % of the time for a 60+ year old to fall.

He's in his late 50's going on 60.
Reasonably fit, I guess that might have helped him.

It's not really very high to fall. Many people fall that distance and are not seriously hurt, the whole key is how you land. The idea is to do a monkey roll as you land, as opposed to trying to remain on your feet.

A paratrooper lands with at least as much force in a typical jump as an unencumbered man does from 20+ feet.

Probably not a whole lot of 60 year old paratroopers.

Yes, I agree, 23ft isn't that high, but it's higher than I'd want to fall. It'd be like falling off of the roof of my 2 story house. I suspect that wouldn't go well even if I tried to roll. And I've taken enough martial arts that I know how to roll.

Yes, but paratroopers are YOUNG men, not 66, like me...

That said, I'll confess to being a fool...did a bit of chain saw work while about 15' up not long ago. Had to get that limb out of the way so the well service co. could use their boom truck to lift the old pump & pipe out, and install new.

Don't get me wrong, i don't want to fall 23 feet either, i'm just sayin' that people can and do fall that far and don't get seriously hurt, though probably not at age 60.

I knew a 20 something girl that fell into her bathtub while drying off and died. It would have been a tragedy but for the fact that she was a junkie ho that no one liked.... ;)

She must've fallen on your SS Katana:D

anybody see the irony? "geronimooooooooooo!" is pretty much the universal scream when someone jumps...or falls.

snipe, jumping and falling are completely different. it all in the preparedness. my tree guy said falling with a chainsaw is the worse.

So I guess he's no longer the 'branch manger'

No kidding...if falling with a chain saw, do you damnedest to be sure the saw lands in a spot away from you.

There's a difference between a controlled, balanced jump off a 23 foot ledge and, umm, falling out of a tree! Not a lot of control there. That fall could easily be head first, in which case you are dead man.

You can often right yourself in a fall as a cat does by twisting your body, as a gymnast or high diver does...provided you know how, of course.

Just so we're clear on this, I wasn't anywhere near when this happened... :)

Glad he's OK.
I was putting up insulation in my garage last year (14 foot ceiling) and when i pushed on the staple gun the bottom of the ladder slid out and i went straight down and landed on my feet.
It's a wonder i didn't break both ankles. Don't think a monkey roll on concrete would have
helped me any. Course the engine stand i fell back against didn't feel too good either.

You fell back, so you were not on balance enough to monkey roll regardless. Of course a monkey roll will help, it's basic physics at play.

By rolling into the fall you are distributing the shock across more of your body and dissipating the energy over time, as opposed to instantly.

Take 3 subjects falling 20 feet, all landing on their feet. Have one lock his knees, one absorb the fall with his knees by squatting as he makes contact with the ground, and one absorb the shock first with his knees before rolling into the fall, and i guarantee you that subject C will suffer the least severe injuries every single time.

Gynmasts land from heights of approx. 20 feet all the time when dismounting from those big ass parallel bars and rings.

Very few people have that sort of body control, but if you know how.... :)

Just came back from a call where a 72 yr old was cleaning out his gutters and fell off a step ladder. Broke a arm and his hip. Fell about 7'. His wife was real sympathetic. Kept yelling at him "I told you to leave them alone." "Wouldn't listen"

Glad your uncle will be ok.