Yesterday I was working on finishing up a batch of arrows before work in anticipation of archery season opening up on the 23rd.
My fletching jig was on top of my rolling toolbox to get it up closer to eye level and my Young feather burner was on top of the workbench with a lower height about two steps to the right so I could look down at the burning wire and get the shaft close but not touching. I've been working on a 2.5 dozen batch of carbons for a while from tuning, to indexing spines, to custom cresting, to splicing feathers, and fletching and then burning them down to shape. It has been really enjoyable.
Well Friday before work I had one shaft fletched with drops of glue at the fronts of the fletching that were still tacky but not wet that I didn't really care to sit down because I didn't want the glue to pick up dust from the garage or run while I burned the fletching down to size. I had a second arrow in my fletching jig getting a feather glued up. I noticed that my feather/clamp in my Bitz jig was a tiny bit off and needed pushed down flush. So, I popped the first arrow by the insert into my teeth for a second and fixed the fletching jig.
As I turned from my jig on my toolbox to take two steps to the workbench I started to reach up and grab the arrow out of my mouth that still had a few drops of tacky glue on the feather fronts so I could burn them down to size. I don't know how but I managed to trip and wasn't fast enough to get the arrow out of my mouth. The shaft got shoved down my throat off the concrete floor and punctured the back of my throat. As I pulled the shaft out of my throat/neck I started laying down the first blood trail of the season from the garage to the kitchen sink. I bled like crazy for about an hour and continued to slowly bleed for 3-4 hours after that. I also got to go to the ER and get a tetanus shot and CT scan. All is OK and I didn't hit anything vital but I did get a whopper scrape and hole in the back of my mouth and throat. Im on pain pills now but have high hopes that this won't be the only blood trail laid down this fall.
Keep safe everyone and best of luck this fall in all your endeavors. I for one have an awesome batch of arrows ready for my adventures this fall and they already have a little blood, sweat, heart, and soul into them. ;)
Dang son!!! Glad you are OK, and it was not as bad as it could have been!!!!!!
Bisch
QuoteOriginally posted by Bisch:
Dang son!!! Glad you are OK, and it was not as bad as it could have been!!!!!!
Bisch
Lol. Yea I am too. It was kind of weird pulling an arrow out of my own throat. :banged: Just one of those weird, freak accidents that wouldn't happen to anyone else in a million years.
All that said, I finished up my arrow batch today and I'm ready to go come Saturday. I don't need to be talking well to get out there and enjoy some woods time. :archer2:
What a story. Glad your okay.
Wow. You should make sure that arrow is the first to hit a deer.
That's crazy!That could have gone so bad....I am glad all is OK.
Daggone! Glad you are ok!
Yikes!! Glad you're ok. That could have been bad for sure.
Close call. I have seen more injuries caused by the nock end of the arrow than the sharp end of the arrow.
Ouch. That brought back memories of when I was about 12 yrs old. I had a pea shooter in my mouth and banged it on something. Scraped the top of my mouth about an inch. Flap of skin that went right into the straw. Took a few days to heal, but the mouth heals pretty quick. If I remember right, lots of ice cream helped.
QuoteOriginally posted by TooManyHobbies:
If I remember right, lots of ice cream helped.
I've been wearing out the ice cream and soups. I had plans to grill my last venison backstrap filet mignon wile packing up my fanny pack for bow season after church today. I guess that steak will have to wait till I can tolerate swallowing solids again. In the mean time it's ice cream, soups, and smoothies.
Ahh! That's one of those stories that make you cringe just imagining it! Glad you're alright.
That is scary. Glad you are ok. Did you burn a tag on yourself?
That's scary as heck!
Glad you are ok. I've lost count of the blood trails leading from my bow shop, across the driveway, up the basement steps, and down the hall into the bathroom. And when that happens, in walks the wife and she says how bad is it. Then she patches me up. LOL