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Got pinned between a wall and forklift at work, broken scaphoid?

zombiesarepeaceful

zombiesarepeaceful

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Oct 2, 2006
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I had an accident at work last night. My forklift started to tip over sideways after I came down a ramp too fast, so I put my foot out (stupid, but natural instinct when something tips over) and fell off. When I fell off I ended up getting pinned between the forklift and the wall. It happened so fast that I don't even remember feeling anything when the forklift crushed me against the wall. After it happened my hand/wrist hurt a little and my leg was scratched up but luckily that's all that happened. As the adrenaline wore off, my wrist started to hurt more but I brushed it off.

Now it's hurts to make a pinching motion or make a fist, when I do pain goes down the thumb side of my hand and wrist. I can't bend my wrist back much. Parts of my wrist where the hand and wrist meet right where it bends, that area is tender if touched. My hand feels weak. I've been reading about hand fractures and I've read that a small scaphoid fracture often feels mildly painful and could be diagnosed as a strain sometimes, so people brush it off until it doesn't heal or gets worse.

In your opinion, do you think this sounds like a possible fracture? Should I get it checked out to avoid future complications with my hand? I'm hesitant to get it checked out because they won't let me work if I have a broken hand (even if I lie and say I hurt myself at home)
 
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Yes go in obviously... I mean even if people here were doctors they wouldn't be able to diagnose you over the internet. Can't you get workman's comp since you hurt yourself on the job?
 
Yes obviously no one is a dr, but I thought someone might have some experience with hand injuries.

I didn't report the accident, so no I can't get workman's comp. If I had reported it they would've fired me because that's how they are where I work
 
Well that kind of complicates things then, but I mean did no one see the overturned forklift or what? I don't quite understand if you were injured and people witnessed it how it wouldn't be reported.
 
I was in the warehouse alone, so no one saw it happen. It didn't tip over completely. It only started to tip over, then it went back on all four wheels after I had already fallen off. That's when it kept rolling and pinned me against the wall. It kept rolling forward far enough that I had room to escape
 
Sounds like you work at a pretty sketchy place. They fire you if you get injured and report it? That's gotta be illegal...
 
Yeah it's not legal to fire someone for getting injured on the job AFAIK. Are you still working OP and are you in the US?
 
I meant they'd fire me for doing something as serious as almost tipping over a forklift and then getting pinned by it. When people do stupid major shit like that, they usually get rid of them. Yes I'm in the us and still working
 
Go to the doctor, as nutty says it impossible to say without seeing it what is up. What you are describing is only your subjective interpretation. What you could do is call around a few places asking the price of an X-ray left or right hand, and to have a doctor simply look at it. There is a lot going on in that area, and our hands are very important.
 
it could be a number of things.

another that came to my mind upon reading your post was "ulnar tunnel" injury/syndrome?

as others have stated, a trip to the doctors is going to be your best (albeit, most expensive) option.

good luck <3

...kytnism...:|
 
The problem is that yellowing can occur due simply to the bruise. Loss/true limitation of feeling and/or function would be definite indicators to go to the doctor.

But seriously, $10 says this thread will be closed soon because the only definitive answer is that you should get it checked out by someone who knows what they are doing and can see you in person (a local doctor). Maybe a RN, no idea what they can do by law nowadays.
 
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There's no bruising. But my body is weird, when I broke something before I had no bruising, and barely any swelling. Apparently I don't bruise or swell easily.

Today is my day off so I'll probably go get checked out
 
When I ruptured a tendon it was all just yellow. At least I think and hope it was just a ruptured tendon. Taking a while to heal.
 
zombiesarepeaceful said:
I meant they'd fire me for doing something as serious as almost tipping over a forklift and then getting pinned by it. When people do stupid major shit like that, they usually get rid of them. Yes I'm in the us and still working
Click to expand...

I pinned myself between a john deere gator and air raider (aercore 800) and its chain driven. Well if it wasn't as skinny I wouldn't have gotten out. I should have unhooked the hitch then pulled the gator away and that wouldn't happen. I hit the wrong gear and it went backwards on me. They won't abd can't fire you unless you piss dirty. My boss knows I smoke tho so he wouldn't do that. I had a blue bruise/indent in my tailbone but in good now.

If you reoirt it when it happens your good. If you report it later you're sol.
 
On the topic of getting fired for getting injured: Yes it is probably illegal, but also easy to get away with. Where I work, for example, there are so many safety procedures we are supposed to follow that absolutely no one does because they would make work take like 3 times as long and following them all would pretty much make you the slowest worker, which would also likely get you fired. So if you hurt yourself, its almost a guarantee you were breaking some rule, absolutely no one follows all the safety procedures beyond there first couple of hours when they see no one else is, or at least after their first day. But it makes an easy reason for them to fire anyone that gets hurt.
 
ZAP, good to see you around here. I hope that you've been checked out and X-rayed by now to rule out a fracture. Hands have small bones in them that are easily broken. Please, if you have not seen a doctor, do that right away. I would be less concerned about being fired than I would be about the prospective loss of my hand's range of motion.
 
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