Fall Down, Go Boom.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I hate falling down as an adult. It makes me feel like such a major loser. I fell down today though. At least it wasn’t in public… my foot caught on a root while walking the dog in the woods. Downhill. I rolled over twice and bashed my shin on another root… I also twisted my knee (and I have bad knees already)… but at least only my son and husband (well, and the dog) saw me. So, anyone have any embarrassing tripping-and-falling-down-in-public stories?

>^,^<
“Cluemobile? You’ve got a pickup…”
OpalCat’s site: http://opalcat.com
The Teeming Millions Homepage: fathom.org/teemingmillions

2

I was riding my bike, at age 26, down a gentle sloping ramp at Torrance Beach in California. Near the bottom the bike wheels skidded on sand, and the bike flew out from under me, throwing me to the ground among a large group of people, who thought I was hurt. I wasn’t. I said, “Eat your heart out, Evel Knievel!”

3

Oh hell, I do that on a regular basis, unfortunately.

One I am sure to never live down is the time I forgot about the last step and went tumbling down…while I was carrying beer. And I hadn’t even started to drink! Needless to say, I was teased mercilessly about how the fumes probably went to my head, etc. On the plus side, I don’t have to carry anything anymore. :wink:

I prefer rogues to imbeciles because they sometimes take a rest.
Alexandre Dumas the Younger (1824-1895)

4

I just bump into walls, doorways, or store displays alot, hard enough to bruse or break the skin. It’s a medical condition, but it’s still embarassing as hell.

5

This reminds me of the other day. I was in the middle of my drawing and painting class, and we were outside doing sketches of the landscape of my schools campus. I was near the building, and on the sidewalk, and i decided to get up to go to a better spot. As i stepped down from the sidewalk, i stepped on the edge and tripped. I didnt fall flat on my face, but i made a noise. I think everyone who was in the area saw it. I just kept going like it was nothing. If people thought it was funny i didnt hear any giggles.

I sure did feel like a dork :frowning:

6

Walking around the factory where I work a few years ago, clipboard in hand, tripped on a rail embedded in the floor (where’s OSHA when you really need them?).

It really hurt - concrete floor – skinned elbows – major embarrassment – but you just have to say “I meant to do that.”

Falling USED to be fun!

7

Sure, ancient stuff I can’t remember very well. Like falling off bikes, attempting to land Ok then sliding on my chin anyway.

See Dave Barry this week, www.miamiherald.com

8

I took great pride in my ability to run down the stairs to catch the Subway when I lived in NYC. Seeing my penchant for tardiness, it was a necessary skill that evolved naturally.

One day, I’m running down the stairs, deftly passing slower commuters as usual. Then, suddenly, my feet got crossed, or I missed a step, or maybe my ankle twisted ever so slightly.

The cause is a blur, but the rest was a surreal moment which seemed to play out in slow motion.

I immediately thought my best chance to live was to jump as far as I could, to maybe make it past the remainder of the steps. So I instinctively jumped, with briefcase flying towards the right, me flying down the steps almost hovering above them. I’m sure it looked amazing to onlookers.

So I’m seemingly floating down the stairs, I manage to clear almost all of it save for the final two steps. As my foot collided with the second-to-last step, things quickly went into normal speed.

My feet slid past that step, flipped onto the final step, and I went sprawling - quite a contrast to my graceful free-flight I would say - right into a bunch of very surprised New Yorkers.

My briefcase then proceeded to land on my head.

Turns out I was fine - I think I had a minor scrape on a knee or elbow, but my pride was hurt way more.

Oddly enough, almost every New Yorker came to my aid, one handing me my briefcase, one helping me to my feet, several concerned folks making sure I was okay.

I shakilly (and much more deliberately) made my way towards my train. Totally red-faced. But, hey, it coulda been worse. At least I wasn’t hurt…

Yer pal,
Satan

9

Well, it wasn’t in public, but a few years ago I fell down the steps in my house. All of 'em. Tripped at the very top and tumbled rather ungracefully down the remainder. I hadn’t done that since I was a little kid! I also uttered some phrases I didn’t even knew I knew :slight_smile:

–
peas on earth

10

I went on a backpacking trip to Reavis Ranch in the Superstition Mountains a few years ago. At one point, I took my eyes off the trail, tripped, fell, and caught myself with my hands. I got up, checked the damage, and found that I had torn open the skin on my right wrist, exposing a couple of tendons underneath. I needed stitches, but we were a looonnng way from the hospital. So a couple of guys in the group got out their first-aid kits and went to work on me. They closed the wound with butterfly bandages, taped gauze over it, and immobilized my wrist using some marshmallow-roasting sticks that someone else had brought along (yes, we teased her for carrying marshmallow-roasting sticks into the woods). The repair didn’t bother me until I went to sleep. Those sticks were uncomfortable as hell. If it were to happen again, I would prefer to get stitched up on the trail - as long as there was someone qualified to do that sort of thing.

Another time, I was out mountain biking with a friend. On the way through a somewhat technical wash, I lost control and went over the handlebars. I scraped up the entire right side of my body, especially my arm. The chain was wedged between the frame and the deraileur when I got up. I wasn’t able to pull it out myself because my right arm was mangled and my left arm is just too uncoordinated. Fortunately, my friend was able to fix it. Otherwise, I would’ve had to drag my bike 3 miles back to the car.

I’m prone to accidents even if they aren’t my fault. One time I was sitting at the campfire when I was hit in the face by a log (not burning). OW!

11

I believed you right up until you said this part :slight_smile:

–
peas on earth

12

Don’t you hate it when that happens?

When it happens to me, I take a cue from Calvin (& Hobbes). I stand up, raise my arms above my head, and in a loud voice proclaim “TA-DAA!”

next show @11
WOTSB

13

Well those of us that have 4 legs don’t have as much trouble walking as you bipeds. But then again we can do more than one thing at a time. You were probalby chewing gum at the time and got all flustered. I don’t suppose it was all the ridiculous clothing you people feel the need to encumber yourselves with.

So, are you so sure it was a root you tripped on? Could it have been a carefully laid out plan that came to fruition, possibly hatched to put you self serving humans in your place? Maybe next time you’ll think twice about feeding me that foul smelling horse meat cold right out of a can, while you sit so smug at your table scolding me for “begging”. How dare you presume that I would beg for anything from a lesser breed such as yourself. I am merely observing your silly activities while plotting to install myself as the true head of the household!

Oh, and those pompous little feline furballs! I’ll put all three of them into their place. That trip my dear was just the beginning, and had the rest of your herd not have been there I can assure you you would not have been able to relate this little anecdote to your fellow bipeds. You’d best count your days because time is very very short. Sleep lightly my silly little human, I will have my moment in the sun, and you will be regretting the frequent misdeeds you have plagued me with.

I’m off to soil the rug, and have my way with another pair of shoes! I will not be denied!

14

My mom’s nickname when she was a teenager was “Poetry in Motion.” She was not graceful. I, unfortunately, inherited her physical gracelessness. If those damn air molecules would just quit moving for a minute, I could probably walk a straight line without tripping.

I bowl. Well, I show up at the bowling alley with my ball, and I try & look like I know what I’m doing. One night, three years ago, when I was reeeeeeally pregnant with my now two year old daughter, my center of gravity shifted mid-approach, and down I went. I was lucky in that a)I landed on my hands & knees and not my stomach, and b) I did not foul. I just stayed there for a minute, because being on my hands & knees, as pregnant as I was, was actually pretty comfortable. My teammates all jumped up to help, of course, but then I hear this huge cheer. I had fallen, but I had fallen just the right way, and I ended up with a strike. :slight_smile:

15

I got tired of everyone teasing me about how carefully I descend stairs so one day in college I decided to go down the stairs to the dining area at a normal trot without holding onto the rail. Wearing heels. All I can say is I’m grateful I knew how to fall (go completely limp - do NOT try to catch yourself)so that I escaped with cuts, bruises, and a swollen nose. I also got to announce to 50 bystanders Just making a melodramatic entrance.

16

Two: one scary as hell, one funny as hell. Both about 5th grade.
One: I was biking in Lincoln Park (SF) along the coast trail. It was on the edge of a cliff. I went along and my front tire hit something, and I fell off to the right. INTO THE ONLY BUSH for TEN FEET either direction. Give or take two feet, ooh. It still scares me to think about it.
Two. Now, I’m a pretty flexible, movable guy, but I have never been able to cartwheel, or really anything involving moving quickly upside down. I was going down teh stairs to Music Appreciation class. I trip and do a cartwheel down the flight of stairs, in the middle of our Catholic-school single file line. Not only that, I look up and see the entire eighth grade class looking at me. I’ll never forget the look on MArk Doherty’s face.

Is it just me, or can you guys all think of someone that it would be really cool to have contribute to this thread?

–
JMcC from SFCA
http://members.tripod.com/~weirdstuff/index.html <fixed link!

17

Straingers injury reminded me of something i did in middle school (A tad bit off topic but does deal with falling).

This happened after school, and everyone was going home. I was on my bike riding away from school, and i tried to shift into a higher gear (or so I thought). I thought the shift was broken (it was set so it looked like it could go up a couple notches higher).

I pushed too hard, the lever snapped off, i went forward, the bike came down on me. I landed on my knees, skinning one THROUGH my jeans (i hit the ground so hard and skid far enough i had a gaping hole in the knee area). I also skinned my hands, and bent the rim of the front wheel in the fall.

Strangely, i got up and rode al the way home with no pain, until i went to the bathroom to clean it, then it hurt like hell and tears rolled down like rain (I just looked at it and started to feel the pain rush in).
Fortunately no one laughed. No one came to my aid, i assume because i got up right after the fall and to them didn’t seem hurt. I still even have a scar on the knee i scraped (it has barely any feeling in it).

18

When I was young and stupid enough to go about in 5" heels I used to fall off my shoes fairly regularly. (No offense to those of you who wear really high heels; they’re just not suitable for clumsy people.)

A few weeks ago I was crossing one of those very busy streets where the light is timed for Olympic sprinters, and as I was rushing across I stepped into a pothole and landed right on the point of my left knee. So there I am rolling around in the middle of a busy street (in my little short skirt, naturally) as the light is changing, thinking I was going to get flattened any second. I was soon rescued, however, by a gallant roller hockey player who rolled quickly out into the street and directed traffic until I could get myself organized, then helped me limp to the curb. Who says there are no nice teenagers? (I still felt like a total dork, though.)

Catrandom

19

Awhile back, I was coasting down a grassy hill on a bike. My friend was walking behind me. Suddenly, my bike is not longer beneath me but I, having been standing on the pedals, go flying forward. I do a complete flip in the air and land flat on my back. My friend bursts out laughing at me. Fortunately, I was fine and only got the wind knocked out of me.

20

This is a couple years ago.
Ok, I’m in the Student Center at school, in a huge study area, where the chairs are arranged in a “U”, so that everyone in the room can see everyone else, if they wanted to. There were maybe 80 people in the room, reading quietly, including me.

I had been sitting with my legs crossed, for maybe an hour straight now. So, I was about to be late for class, so I got my bag, and stood up to make a dash for the door. BUT, I didn’t know that my leg was TOTALLY asleep, and numb! I may as well have been paralyzed. So, I ended up falling flat on my face, and my bag falls and goes BOOM! Everyone stares, and I get beet red.

The worst part is that I have no time to let my leg awaken, so I limp like a fool all the way across this huge room, with everyone staring at me. I’ve never been so embarrased in public since then.

Adam

“Life is hard…but God is good”