Man awake, talking after 47-floor fall

AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/3/08 | David B. Caruso - ap

[Tanniker Smith]

...it’s how you land.

I wonder if he landed on his brother . . .

[MplsSteve]

I agree. Excellent post.

I donate blood on a semi-regular basis.

I think it’s a good thing...no, a great thing to do that takes very little time and effort.

[Libloather]

Bush's fault...

[Caramelgal]

Whenever I’ve donated it’s either been at a Red Cross center or at my workplace or at my gym. In all my cases it’s been very clean, comfortable and well run but then again I’ve never donated inside a van. LOL!

The worst experience I ever had was one time when the donation was almost complete but for some reason they couldn’t get any more blood from my left arm. Since it was so close to being a full pint but not enough to count or be used, the nurse asked me if I would mind if they “tapped” my other arm to get the rest of the donation. Since I had no other place to go and nothing better to do with my time, I said “sure”.

You would have thought I was donating a Kidney - the nurses and RC volunteers were so kind and sympathetic. To me it was just an extra pin prick and 5 more minutes of my time and no great big deal. But I was treated so kindly it was amazing to me.

But it doesn't really matter any more for me since my travels have now taken me to places where, having been there, I am not supposed to donate anymore.

When I answer the questionnaire about my travels outside the US, I feel like a such a rube since I’ve only traveled outside the US once, on business, to Canada and that doesn’t really count. If feel so unsophisticated.

When I’m confidentially asked about IV drug use, tattoos and body piercing, homosexual sexual encounters, or encounters with IV drug users, travels to the UK, Africa, etc, etc. and I keep answering, No, No, No, No; I feel like I must be the most boring person on the face of the Earth.

I guess that what makes me a good blood donor. :),

Your qualification as a blood donor isn’t’ necessarily dependent on where you’ve ever traveled but also how long ago and when you traveled there. Check back with the RC and you may find you are now qualified to donate.

[sionnsar]

Your qualification as a blood donor isn’t’ necessarily dependent on where you’ve ever traveled but also how long ago and when you traveled there. Check back with the RC and you may find you are now qualified to donate.

I am aware of that, but right now I am in a 10-year non-contribution window.

[null and void]

Goodness! Where did you go? (If I may ask)...

[null and void]

Goodness! Where did you go? (If I may ask)...

[abigailsmybaby]

My hubby has fallen off the top of a 40’ pole a couple of times. I thought that was bad enough. But geez, 470’??!! I think I’d die just from the fear of the fall.

[A. Morgan]

Prayers up!

[higgmeister]

"Wow - life would suck if this guy’s illegal and get deported ..." Edgar Moreno, 30, of Linden N.J., died instantly. He was buried in Ecuador, where the brothers are from. It's not out of the question.I say we get an Act of Congress to keep him here! We need those super-genes to stay in our pool.

[4Runner]

The real miracle here is not the fall, but the medical knowledge, drugs, and technology available to anyone—key word anyone—experiencing a medical crisis in the U.S. Without it, this man almost certainly would have died. Just surprised no one posting here has thought to mention this.

I don’t want to throw a damper on all the high-fiving but at some point the cost of the care he received is going to have to be paid by someone. The extraordinary efforts taken to keep him alive will come with an extraordinary price tag.

Did he have private medical insurance? A lot of these window washing businesses must cover their employees with workers comp—but not much else.

[NRA2BFree]

My hubby has fallen off the top of a 40’ pole a couple of times. I thought that was bad enough. But geez, 470’??!! I think I’d die just from the fear of the fall.

The fact that your husband fell off of a 40 foot pole and survived once is a miracle, but twice? WoW, that's amazing. He must lead a charmed life because he's found favor with God. Three and a half feet laid me up for almost a year with several fractures and a broken tail bone.

[abigailsmybaby]

I don’t know how he didn’t get seriously injured. The first time did jam his back up pretty bad and left his chest full of splinters. He hugged the pole part of the way down. He was back to work in 2 days.

The second time knocked him out. He came to to his buddy leaning over him, grinning. He said “I hope I bounce as good as you do when I fall off a pole”.

[Paleo Conservative]

The most “painful” and time consuming part is filling out the questionnaire.

.................

With all jokes aside, hospitals and trauma centers are facing serious shortages. If you’ve never donate blood before, give it a try. If you haven’t donated in awhile, it’s time to do so again.

I've donated over 4 gallons to my local blood bank and at least another gallon to blood banks in places I used to live. It's amazing how much more detailed and intrusive the screening questions have gotten over the years. I think I'll wait another week or two till I've completely gotten over the cold I came down with on Xmas eve till I donate again.

[higgmeister]

Did he have private medical insurance? A lot of these window washing businesses must cover their employees with workers comp—but not much else.

I suspect he was on the dole in some way, it happening in New York.

I hate to say it, but I would rather that victims be treated with this extravagant care in an emergency, because I would hate to receive poor emergency care myself, just because my insurance card was lost or destroyed in the accident.

There is plenty of time later to see if a person should be on the ward or in a private room.

[Rome2000]

Had a guy on top of a 40 story building under construction get blown off because he was holding on to a 4x8 sheet of plywood and a gust came. He held onto to the board and was blown back in 3 story's below.

The guy held the board so tight his fingernails were embedded in the wood and were ripped out of his hand.

He never came back to work again.

[Calvin Locke]

Reduce the Gs at ground level, you may have a chance.

There was a show just on that had footage of an F-18 crashing at an air show.

The Marine pilot survived the estimated 75G stop.

Had his face pushed in 1/2" by the stick when the harness snapped, and he went forward. They said that saved his life.

Walks with a cane now.

[Calvin Locke]

I think I saw a recommendation for suicide that the jump be at least eight stories.

[Bogeygolfer]

I was under the impression the workers comp would get the tab for a work related injury, not the medical carrier.

[lepton]

It is possible that the metal platform offered him some protection, although doctors said they were unsure how.

I suspect that his terminal velocity was rather lower than normal, and that he was more or less riding the scaffolding...and then one end of the scaffolding hit and rotated, thus causing deceleration to happen over a number of feet rather than a simple splat of an inch or so. He even might have had some amazing inclined-plane effect.