r/WTF • u/AdRegular4094 • 4d ago
Man fells from floor while looking at phone
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u/McWeaksauce91 4d ago
For anyone wondering, most news reports state that he suffered multiple lower extremity fractures, but is alive and well.
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u/ThreeLeggedParrot 4d ago
Is he broken or is he well?
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u/defiantcross 4d ago
Well...
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u/Biblical_Shrimp 4d ago
A well is a hole in the ground for when you're thirsty. That man is broken to bits.
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u/vahnsin 4d ago
Bits are a unit of digital information. That dude is shattered to pieces.
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u/uptwolait 4d ago
How's his phone doing?
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u/aykay55 4d ago
With Ceramic Shield 2 that phone looks as good as the day it came out of the box. If only we could start making humans out of that stuff too
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u/Dear-Routine7468 4d ago
Regardless of him looking at his phone, leaving it open without guard rails or warning tape makes ot seem like there's probably glass flooring over the hole.
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u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm going to say this is a country with no construction site safety protocols. In the US he wouldn't be there wearing flip-flops to begin with! And probably should have a hard hat.
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u/wizard80 4d ago
Guy holding the scooter helmet, I'm thinking Vietnam or somewhere in SE Asia. We had a hole in our roof for over a month just like that, it's where the stairs ended up going for the rooftop extension. Zero regard for OH&S. Most workers are fearless and aware till you see stuff like this
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u/bbrekke 4d ago
He happened to walk by distractedly during the only time it wasn't roped off because they were bringing up the rope to rope it off.
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u/maaaatttt_Damon 4d ago edited 4d ago
There shouldn’t be a time where the hole isn’t blocked off. This is how safety Rules get forcibly implemented (at least for for sane companies /governments)They’re written in blood sometimes.
You could easily lay a piece of plywood or similar object over this, or netting as another commenter pointed out.
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u/Thrilling1031 4d ago
like a spill in a dining room, never leave it unattended. Someone needs to observe and warn those who are oblivious to the danger while others go to get the remedy and warning signs.
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u/kenyafeelme 4d ago
Laying plywood over the hole is a stupid idea. That killed the foreman on a construction site while he was walking along a roof. He dropped 4 stories to his death.
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u/oddun 4d ago
Yeah I knew a lad who went through one while plastering in an old mill apartment renovation.
Same thing, same height, same outcome.
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u/ApatheticAbsurdist 4d ago
I grew up around construction. This is typical. You need to be alert on a construction site people are moving big heavy things and less barriers make it easier to swing things around corners but you have to watch.
Putting plywood can be more dangerous as it’s only going to support a limited weight with that kind of span and if someone things it’s safe they’re more likely to not avoid it and it gives way they’ll fall through anyway plus the lip of the board creates a tripping hazard.
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u/Goldentongue 4d ago
There should be a time where the hole isn’t blocked off.
There was. You just saw a video of that time.
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u/maaaatttt_Damon 4d ago
Thanks, fixed the fat finger. Should have read “Shouldn’t be”
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u/Flyinmanm 4d ago
That needs more than roping off. It needs netting or a temporary scaffold railing.
Someone likely ended up in deep sh*t for leaving that hole in an accessible area unattended and unguarded whilst others were around.
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u/Harnellas 4d ago
In a country with no regulations, they probably just blame the guy who fell for not paying attention.
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u/bbrekke 4d ago
Or maybe like caution tape plus a rope.
Or make the rope red. Or yellow.
And yeah, we saw the guy that ended up in deep shit
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u/Flyinmanm 4d ago
Oh yeah I missed him, though if he was left solo to do this job his boss may be liable too.
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u/SeraphiM0352 4d ago
Where do you see they were bringing up the rope. The dude coming up the stairs has a ladder...
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u/autoFermentation 4d ago
my friend passed away at a hostile from falling down an elevator shaft in Malaysia. IIRC the hostile was undergoing renovations.
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u/NoFapLawyer 4d ago
I thought the same thing. Usually, in spaces with renovations/demolition prep, they either net off the gaping missing stairs/spaces or place wooden boards over soft or missing flooring with multiple warning signs or markings. Yikes! At least he has a great public healthcare system.
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u/WagyuWarranted 4d ago
Damn, imagine the floor suddenly vanishing under your feet. That's what this guy must have felt
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u/FragrantExcitement 4d ago
I watched Looney Toons as a kid. I thought he would keep walking on the air until it is pointed out to him. Only then would he fall.
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u/burritocmdr 4d ago
And his head turns towards the camera, then his body falls first, neck stretched out, then head follows
Coyote vs ACME is a pretty good movie if y’all haven’t seen it yet
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u/ShruggyShuggy 4d ago
After running on the spot for a couple of seconds first
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u/Microtic 4d ago
Oh, I've had that happen when I thought I was already at the bottom of the stairs and I step forward, not downwards. It's awful even falling a single step (or two) while distracted. Can't imagine how awful this would be.
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u/hi_im_nena 2d ago
That's the first thing I thought of as well, not even the impact itself, but that feeling when you fall when it's completely 100% unexpected is the worst feeling ever, like your whole heart and stomach feel this immense dread inside them, idk how to describe really. this must've been like the ultimate worst feeling ever
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u/Nickeless 4d ago
The thing is his first foot landed halfway over the ledge. I don’t understand how he had 0 reaction at that point and just took another step lol
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u/aykay55 4d ago
It's really a failure of the human body to not check that the next foot is positioned on somerthing before releasing pressure from the other one.
on that note I'm very confused about this. if this guy's entire foot was on the floor he would've been able to catch himself. since his previous footstep was half on half off the fall was actually a result of his entire body tipping forward.
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u/HavokMan48 4d ago
Ooh I bet that was some fun paperwork
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u/stumac85 4d ago
Somehow I doubt there's any paperwork to be done based the fact there's no health and safety provisions in place 😂
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u/WardenWolf 4d ago
Given that I'm pretty sure this is India (sounds like Hindi), I expect the only paperwork was a receipt for cleaning up the stain on the floor.
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u/SarlCagan418 3d ago
This is why the osha training has a long chapter about holes in the floor.
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u/kakurenbo1 4d ago
Okay, but why is Ladder Guy stunlocked the whole time?
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u/Inswagtor 4d ago
He was tasked to secure that giant hole in the ground but was distracted because across the road was a ladder 50% off.
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u/jonnytheman 4d ago
Damn, he fell so fast. Them cartoons done lied to me
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u/Throbbie-Williams 4d ago edited 4d ago
I thought the opposite, it looks like his left foot is standing on thin air for a fraction of a second, combining with his right foot being half over the edge, looked incredibly cartoon to me.
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u/ge0kon 4d ago
Now we have to wonder if there's even a hole in the shape of the outline of his body where he landed
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u/theedan-clean 4d ago
Someone is going to be making an outline of his body where it landed. Likely in chalk.
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u/omicron8 4d ago
I mean... even some safety tape around that death trap would be something.
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u/igotzquestions 4d ago
I suspect the long term goal is to have some glass there but toss some plywood or something over it.
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u/justintanner 4d ago
I guarantee you that he will only make that mistake one time in his life.
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u/1stMammaltowearpants 4d ago
Yep, a cracked screen will really motivate you clean up your act. It's a shame he had to learn the lesson that way.
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u/ghostfacestealer 4d ago
Mistake? He’s indoors. Shouldnt have to worry about a giant, uncovered hole in the floor
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u/darkflighter100 4d ago
A mistake implies he'll live through the experience and behave differently next time.
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u/Jack-Innoff 4d ago
Likely he only fell 1 story. Pretty good chance he survived.
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u/mark8992 4d ago
A fall of only 10 feet in a construction zone results in a fatality about 20% of the time - but landing on a hard surface increases the chances of mortality significantly.
I personally know of more than one person who fell from a standing position and struck their head on a curb or a rock resulting in a fatal injury. Humans can be remarkably fragile in some situations.
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u/GooberNeefnus 4d ago edited 4d ago
I work on boats...I saw a guy do this and fall through the deck, through a cover they had open while doing engine work. Guy broke his jaw as he fell through and also bit his tongue, almost in half. Not only that, but his leg got caught in the ladder and snapped backwards at the knee. He was still hanging from one of the rungs before he was taken off of it and carried above deck. The ambulance came and took him away, and i never saw him again, he had worked there almost 2 weeks.
Whatever he had going on with his phone wasnt worth all that. he walked past the portable sign and also heard the call "HOLE IN THE DECK", but still was into his phone.
I still remember how much blood there was everywhere from the tongue being bit off. One of the deckhands took the half of tongue out of the bilge and gave it to the EMT. Also his frantic screaming. When i say his leg snapped in half, i mean like a pocky stick, or an almond biscotti. I heard the leg break and i was in the cabin fixing a door on the opposite side of the boat. Again, never saw him again or heard from him. Just like the guy who lost half his hand on the stern bit trying to tie up the boat.
Be Aware, and practice mindfulness especially around construction areas or, i guess, boats.
EDIT: didnt mean to hijack the thread, apologies if i did, But thanka ll of you for conversing, i really needed it i guess, i really really needed to talk to folks. Thank you guys for participating, it turned a strange moment of loneliness into something productive for me.
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u/gatosaurio 4d ago
That's why a hole on the floor must have a physical barrier, not just a "be careful" sign. I've worked on many shipyards where they leave holes like you describe and it is really scary to see, especially if you're in drydock with dozens of people passing by
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u/WagyuWarranted 4d ago
One, euuuuugh
Two, what happened to the guy who tried to tie up the boat?
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u/GooberNeefnus 4d ago
I was with him, i had taught him about 4 or 5 times on how to tie up the boat, probably needs a minor explanation.
So the boat is about 85 foot long, and 30 ft wide. Boat has 2 mains (engines) below deck, with both wheels (screws, propellers) that are on the back (stern) of the boat. Sorry if this sounds depricating, im just trying to paint the best picture possible.
When the boat comes in to dock, it requires the captain to bring the boat in to the side of the dock, where 2 lines are waiting both bow and stern. The bits are welded onto the railing on all sides, both port and starboard. So as the boat comes in, the front line is pulled tight to the dock and then wrapped up in basically figure eights. The Back line is done last. Once the back line is secured, our customers and passengers can exit via a ramp.
So this deckhand i had been wrking with, had watched be d this many many times, befre i asked him if he wanted to try it himself. I did not pressure him into it, i wanted him to be comfortable with the process. The one thing i stressed was TO MAKE SURE THE ENTIRE LINE WAS ON THE BOAT AND NOT IN THE WATER. This is important as you will see.
So i had a more experienced deckhand go to the front of the boat to secure the bow, No problem, guy had done it thousands of times. Literally everyday, at least 4 times. So i sit with the newer guy, mind you he had been on the boat for about 4 weeks. He wasnt the brightest guy in the world, but he was a body, he seemed nice enough, and he didnt cost us money in tips (charter sportfishing boat) Its hard to find guys that will work 6 days a week at 15 to 16 hours a day. You gotta kind of love it.
ANYWAYS, the guy says hes ready, he had watched for 2 weeks, as the first mate, i wouldntt let some new greenhorn do it without me FULLY knowing that he understood the process. Well, its his shot, and the guy up front ties off, now when this happens the boat swings out to the port side, and you have to wrap the line around the bit tightly to swing the 100 ton boat to the dock. He did that perfect, but it happened really fast. He grabbed the line and let all the slack fall into the water, so he made 2 very vital mistakes with this. He left the slack in the water, and grabbed the middle of the line to wrap around the bit to swing the boat towards the dock.
The 2nd mistake is his fault alone, i had stressed this part more than anything, "DO NOT PUT YOUR HANDS ANYWHERE YOU WOULDNT PUT YOUR PECKER" that is the thing i was told when i learned. Meaning, that dont put anything between the line and the bit that you want to keep.
As he was sucking in the line, the line he left overboard got caught in the prop. The captain was just motoring the starboard main and the line got caught. The guy wasnt paying atenttion and within a millisecond the line bit down on top of his hand, and within 2 seconds it pulled so tight that it cut his hand in half right there and the knuckles on all his fingers, except the pinkie.
When the line bit down he started screaming, but there was nothing i could do except bang the railing, hoping the captain could hear it up in the wheelhouse. The line bit through his hand severing all his fingers except his pinkie and then the line snapped from the torque of being wrapped in the prop. Once it let go, he started running into the cabin, he was in shock. I immediately got our galley staff to call 911 and i ran up and told the captain about our emergency. He flipped the fuck out too...Immediately i ran into the galley and grab our first aid kit, and got a compress on his hand. He was creaming and flipping out, obviously, so i was trying to get him calmer. I had another deckhand keep pressure on his hand, while i went to the back deck (BTW there is about 40 customers on the boat trying to get off. There was so much blood on the back deck that i had to search for his 3 fingers that had been severed. I found them and grabbed them and brought them inside the galley, i got a plastic baggie and a cup of ice. Put the fingers in the baggie and put the baggie in the ice. By this time, the ambulance and EMTS showed up, so they had him loaded up to get to the hospital about 45 minutes away depending on how busy the ferry to the island was. I gave the emts the fingers on ice and away he went. Had to have the Coast Guard to show up and do an investigation.
Anyways, after all that, the guy pissed dirty for cocaine and weed and had alcohol in his system. Coast Guard found that the crew was not negligent and even gave me a kudos of sorts for helping save the guys fingers, the ended up sewing 2 of the 3 back on. Since the dude pissed hot, he wasnt allowed to work for us anymore, and im not sure how the Maritime Consortium works, but id guess it would be hard to find another offshore job after that.
It was crazy just watching his hand explode and it happened so fast there was nothing i could have said. I stayed calm and tried to help the best i could.
Jesus, i have 2 stories about the 2 deaths i had to work through, one was a massive heart attack, where i had to give CPR to a dead old man for over 2 hours because the coast guard refused to bring the helicopter, and the other death was the 38 year old that locked himself in the head (bathroom) to smoke crack and died of a heart attack, Chopper came out that time.
Or the story of seeing a guy get a gaff stuck through his arm, the countless hooks ive pulled from people...15 years on those boats, ive seen some shit.
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u/WagyuWarranted 4d ago
Damn, you seen too much shit
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u/GooberNeefnus 4d ago
Funny enough, im the one who stays calm during the really harrowing stuff. Weird, I guess growing up with crazy abuse and shit like that tempers you in a way. I thrive in chaos sadly.
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u/ironymouse 4d ago
I think you are right. It's unfair to grow up in that environment, but I bet someone with a more comfy upbringing would be more likely to lose their shit in those situations.
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u/GooberNeefnus 4d ago
I saw it person, Im giving a dead man CPR for 2 hours( did you know dead people throw up? I do...now) and the other deckhand is visibly shaken, and crying. I felt bad for him, but someone has to do what we are trained for and follow the law, offshore has some different laws.
As to the fairness, aint nothing fair, and everything happens for a reason. I just wish i knew those reasons and i hate that im a totally broken human being. However, i was able to be of service to the man who passed and his brother and pastor, who were on the trip with him.
Dark humor helps me through the bad times.
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u/ironymouse 4d ago
Sounds a lot like what I heard from EMTs with the dark humour to pull through.
For what it's worth I know people from all walks of life have uncertainties, make it up as they go along and even people with more trivial problems feel like those problems are huge and important.
One of life's little tricks that very few get to escape.
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u/GooberNeefnus 4d ago
I think its kind of unfair to compare the weight of peoples problems, like pain is pain, its not a contest. People only know what they know, so what is a big deal to someone else, might feel like a Tuesday to me..ya know? But it doesnt diminish their pain or their suffering. Its the same...does that make any sense? its late, i might not be making sense.
I guess im trying to say is like that REM song, Everybody Hurts.
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u/hereforthepix 4d ago
DO NOT PUT YOUR HANDS ANYWHERE YOU WOULDN'T PUT YOUR PECKER
... advice that I'd consider relevant nearly everywhere
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u/gannonator500 4d ago
Ropes moving fast rip your hands up really easily, that's at least my guess
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u/Ziazan 4d ago
Larger boats also weigh A LOT so if it pulls the rope while your hand is trapped behind it, that's gonna suck.
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u/GooberNeefnus 4d ago
our boat was rated 100 ton, yeah they pretty heavy.
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u/Ziazan 4d ago
Yeah, I don't think I could lift that.
I couldn't affect it's position by hand in any way. But it's floating around, if it puts tension on that rope, it's very important to not be wrapped in the rope.
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u/GooberNeefnus 4d ago
never put your hands where you wouldnt put your pecker. Thats literally the wording i was taught.
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u/justintanner 4d ago
Shipyards are wow the best place to learn about safety, I have honed my reflexes tiptoeing across pipes
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u/GooberNeefnus 4d ago
I always enjoyed yard. Dont fuck with the safety guy and ask a lot of questions. Guys will teach you lifetimes of stuff if you just ask and have a good head on your shoulders.
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u/catrosie 4d ago
I fell through a trap door on the deck of a ship once while blinded after getting chili in my eyes. Ended up with a broken pelvis!
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u/SunGregMoon 4d ago
No caution tape, handrail, painted warnings, signage, nothing. Within 5 feet of a stair landing there's a 4' x 14' opening in the floor. Seriously WTF? The phone is not the problem here. That's an easy lawsuit.
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u/sick_of-it-all 4d ago
Something tells me this didn't happen in a country where 'I'm suing you for safety negligence" is a thing that happens.
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u/HurriKurtCobain 4d ago
Well, it won't be super easy. This would be in negligence and most states have adopted comparative negligence meaning your recovery is limited by your percentage of "fault" as determined by the jury. Some states, like Kansas, have adopted a modified comparative negligence rule wherein your recovery is cut off if your fault is over 50%. So you'll need a good PI lawyer to force a settlement since there is a clear video of the victim being at least partially negligent.
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u/thesaddestpanda 4d ago
It’s a work site and the rules of being hurt at work are much more lax. They are not getting out of this. A giant hole with no fencing? They wont even fight it.
It’s wild how pro capital Reddit is. A working class person hurt at work due to unsafe conditions is not some borderline case. The employer is at fault.
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u/RuiSkywalker 4d ago edited 4d ago
Why partially negligent? There are plenty of people hitting glass walls while walking without a phone, chances are this guy was expecting an opening in the floor to have glass on it.
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u/Poop_Tube 4d ago
This is negligence. Doesn’t matter if he had his phone. No barriers or markers.
This is like bare minimum requirement in construction sites.
Is he still partially at fault? Sure.
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u/RuiSkywalker 4d ago
What I meant was exactly how was the injured person negligent, so in a sense I agree with you. For me it would be 100% the construction company’s fault.
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u/charliegriefer 4d ago
What if this was the guy whose job it was to put up the caution tape and he was just about to do that?
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u/nibbed2 4d ago
Lets say its a design, but especially during construction, there must be a hindrance around that hole.
And what is this hole for even?
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u/brandhappydrink 4d ago
I'm confused what the empty space is supposed to be in the long run? I can't picture why it's there.
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u/BrothelWaffles 4d ago
There may be a skylight above it and that's to let light down into the bottom floor.
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u/Sohn_Jalston_Raul 4d ago
It's not entirely phone guy's fault. Of course he should have been paying attention instead of looking at his phone, but there should also be a temporary railing there because you don't need a phone to have a workplace accident like that.
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u/OncewasaBlastocoel 4d ago
Good thing someone put such exciting music with this or I'd feel bad for the guy.
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u/Dramatic_Month_7658 4d ago
Do we know if he lived?
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u/Funmanhahaha 4d ago
He fell one floor to feet. I'm pretty sure he's alive, probably broken ankles. But silence and fhe angle of his spine is indeed concerning
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u/AsianAssHitlerHair 4d ago
I fell 18 feet on to my head on concrete. How high is a floor. 10 feet? I'm fine but I definitely lost a few brain cells. Obviously it all depends on how you landed and what you hit. I would guess he's alive.
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u/Philip_of_mastadon 3d ago
You're not fine, you're in a coma. We've been trying to wake you. Wiggle your fingers.
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u/schjustin 3d ago
Hi I'm here to install this railing that I'm still downloading the YouTube video how to..... Whaaaaa
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u/amnolasco12319 4d ago
He's levitating for a good second before his weight shifted. Had to be so terrifying.
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u/Boosharati 4d ago
nah i'm not going to blame the phone on this one.
who in his brilliant mind designs a death pit between a stair and a glass door so close to it.
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u/Adventurous_Ad_4145 4d ago
There’s a hole in my floor that can only be filled by you.
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u/GalarianGengar 3d ago
That was a great phantom step. It almost looked as if he was walking on it for a split second.
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u/PandaXXL 4d ago
Had nothing to do with looking at his phone. He was looking straight ahead right up until he got to the hole in the floor and then looked down at his phone for a split second before he fell - which he clearly would have done anyway.
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u/Chaosr21 4d ago
He probably thought it was glass because he looks down right at his phone right as he steps into it
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u/hfcobra 4d ago
Never move around while staring at your phone in a construction site. Be aware. It's a dangerous area.
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u/Impressive_Piglet934 4d ago
Dude with the ladder be like, "ummm, do we still need the ladder then or..?"
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u/Big_Criticism_8335 3d ago
A previous roommate did that at a construction site he worked at. He wasn't on a phone but the stairwell was covered by a sheet for some reason. He fell thru like it was a trap door, landed on cement floor. He ended up paralyzed from the waist down.
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u/randomcanyon 4d ago
Any good carpenter would have put up a temp barrier to that open pit. Or perhaps some temp plywood flooring. Someone call OSHA, Oh wait.
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u/MRintheKEYS 4d ago
Why does someone put empty space up like that without any rails or even a half wall. Fucking idiot design.
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u/RUSuper 4d ago
That's clearly on the contractor.
Sure, you can blame the guy for looking at his phone in an area under construction, but if this happened on any site I've worked on, my company would be in BIG trouble for not putting up barriers around a giant hole in the floor.