Accident Prone

I've been very fortunate in my life to not have an issue with being accident prone.  My brother however has had his fair share of being accident prone.  I remember at least once a year, my parents were taking my brother into the emergency for one reason or another.

I didn't witness one of his first accidents, but my mother can tell the story well.  He was just a little guy and was helping my Grandmother do the wash.  In the 50's and 60's they had a washer that looked more like a robot than a washer.  I'm sure he was very fast and happy to help her wring out the laundry.  This process was done by using a wringing mechanism on top that resembled the inside of a copier machine where the paper is dispensed out.  It had several rollers that would squeeze the water out once inserted.  Somehow, my brother got his little arm wrapped up into the laundry and if was fed through those rollers.  My mother said Grandma was fast to catch the switch and roll him the opposite direction to remove his arm.  I remember for the longest time, he had a scar from that day.  I guess that's why they modified that machine.  It was more common than we knew.

I remember all us cousins running around at my Grandmother's house.  My uncles worked in construction and many times, would park their utility trucks on my Grandmother's front lawn.  On this particular day, as we were all running after each other, most probably playing tag, we decided to run around this utility truck.  Of course there were those of us who would fall down, but get up and brush ourselves off.  But that wouldn't be the case for my brother on this day.  He got too close to the edge of the truck and caught the top of his eye lid below his brow on a hook or piece of metal that was sticking out on the edge.  I know to this day, you can see the scar still above his pretty blue eye.

Halloween always seemed to play a disastrous time for my brother as well.  In particular, I can recall a year when he was Dracula and we spent our Halloween at a park.  Again, it involved several children running around.  It is because of our costumes in the 60's that we have rules and regulations regarding how costumes are made.  My brother took a tumble.  It was quite orchestrated.  He took a rolling effect.  Then my parents heard the cry.  He fractured his arm that evening.

Our family loved to take trips to Palos Verdes and the beaches in the Los Angeles area.  In some of the beaches, there are bluffs.  I remember my father taking us on hikes on some of those bluffs.  I was terribly afraid of falling down them.  The trails got very thin.  I remember yelling at my father for taking us on those trails.  My brother seemed to be more fearless than myself.  After our hike, we would usually venture down into the water to play in the sand.  My brother and my Dad were playing some game which involved either a ball or Frisbee.  Well wouldn't you know it, the ball or Frisbee got stuck on top of a bluff like area at the beach.  My brother, being the enthusiastic retriever ventured up the side of that bluff.  I remember my Dad asking him how he was going to get down.  He responded that it would be easy.  He took a few steps and then from the very top of what seemed like three stories at the time, my brother in all his glory came rolling down the side of that bluff with dust being exerted from every part of his roll.  Then the thud at the base of that bluff.  Of course, we all ran up to him to see if he was alright.  I don't remember if he broke or fractured anything that day.

Then there was the Fourth of July.  I don't remember my brother getting injured during this holiday, however, when I was in middle school I remember holding the infamous Roman Candle.  I always felt like the Statue of Liberty when I held on to one of those enormous sticks of explosive sparks.  I usually held the Roman Candle away from me as always advised by my parents.  This one time, it was heavier than usual and I leaned in against my blouse in my abdominal area.  My Dad lit that and I was so enjoying watching how it turned from a bright glow to different colors and the sound it made as all that fire blew out of the top.  I started to feel something burning on my stomach and pulled the Roman Candle away and there was fire coming out of the bottom as well and had burned a hole clear through my shirt.  And that is why, we no longer have Roman Candles to hold on to.  Then there were those fireworks that you would hammer into the tree and watch whirl.  I don't know how many times that darn thing would come off the nail and twirl toward me and into my long hair.  I guess that's why those don't exist anymore for your average firework consumer.