kiter injured at woodies

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dalestanton

272 posts

dalestanton

WA, 272 posts

27 Jun 2004 12:49pm

News just in, Big Richard was down at woodman pt this morning flying a green 13m gastra, somehow the lines got wrapped around his fingers when his chicken loop came unhooked.As he was reaching for his velcrow quick release his fingers have become caught.

He has taken a serious amount of flesh of two fingers finger. (down to the bone basically. thanks to the windsurfer who helped bandage his hand,cheers mate.

It was enough to make your guts squirm. yuk...

Ryland and leon took his gear to SOS, I took the poor bloke to emergency dept at freo hospital.

Hope you recover soon mate, thanks rye and leo for ya help.

Be carefull of your lines everyone, this is a good example of how lethal they can be.....!!!

I think I would rather loose a kite than my fingers.

Kitehard, but safe people.
__________________
Dale Stanton

Jess

206 posts

Jess

WA, 206 posts

28 Jun 2004 11:59am

Richard,
sorry to hear about your fingers :-( If you're the same Richard who had an 1+ hour swim last Monday that's even worse! Definitely more than your fair share of bad luck. Wish you a speedy recovery,
Jess

Richard M.

5 posts

Richard M.

WA, 5 posts

12 Jul 2004 9:03pm

Just a quick thankyou to Dale, Ryland, Leon and the mystery windsurfer guy for the help you gave me at Woodies a few weeks ago. l won't go into too much detail now but at a later time l will post a full storey with a few pictures to show all kiters what a bit of bad luck and a slack line can do to a perfectly good hand.

At the moment l'm at home after 2 weeks in hospital with my hand stitched to my hip to replace the skin l lost. Hopefully l will get back full use and be back on the water in the next 2 or 3 months.

Again many thanks to the boys that helped me out and all the wellwishes l have received. l look forward to catching up and shouting a few beers..

Can't thankyou enough...Big Richard

dalestanton

272 posts

dalestanton

WA, 272 posts

13 Jul 2004 2:39pm

I am sure you would have done the same for anyone else Richard. I will catch up with ya some time for that beer...

Hope you can get back on the water soon.

gasman

320 posts

gasman

WA, 320 posts

16 Jul 2004 10:31pm

Nasty injury mate. You're not the first. I wear gloves ALWAYS when kiting. Gives you a lot more confidence when handing your lines, and also helps protect against blisters. I think all kiters should think about this issue.

Ptussy

86 posts

Ptussy

WA, 86 posts

17 Jul 2004 8:57am

GM-what sort of gloves do you wear/reccomend?
R

Rod

102 posts

Rod

WA, 102 posts

17 Jul 2004 10:26am

I usually wear the fingerless styled gloves but mainly for sun protection, I've had a few BCCs burnt of my hands and arms now and I reckon the sun hours on the back of hands really adds up from kiting. The protection from lines is an an added bonus for me and they come in handy when when self landing with the QR in a big wind and hauling the kite in.

I looked at a few different types around and ended up buying UVeto gloves which I got from the fishing shop opposite the boardroom in Scarbourough, I think they were $25. They are pretty light weight, not too bulky, with extra kevlar(I think) padding on the palm. I think they are actually meant for fishing so are water proof and with 100% UV protection. I think people wear them driving as well.

Sorry to hear about your accident Richard, I hope you get back on the water soon.

Rod

gasman

320 posts

gasman

WA, 320 posts

17 Jul 2004 2:48pm

quote:
Originally posted by Ptussy

GM-what sort of gloves do you wear/reccomend?
R

I use Windsurfing Hawaii gloves. Half finger length, so you can still fix your lines, but with protection to hold onto your lines safely. Full gloves would be better protection, but a bit limiting. The added protection from blisters is a bonus.

Ptussy

86 posts

Ptussy

WA, 86 posts

19 Jul 2004 12:26pm

Thanks for the info - looks like it might be worthwhile giving my old sailing gloves a try.
R

Richard M.

5 posts

Richard M.

WA, 5 posts

23 Jul 2004 11:33am

Hi again with a short update.

Last Friday l had my fingers removed from my groin and the skin flap finished off . One finger is really good and will look normal while the other is about double the size it used to be and looks pretty ordinary. Some of the graft has died since the operation so l'm on super antibiotics to try and prevent having another op.

The bottom line is that everyone should seriously think about looking after there hands and l'll be wearing top quality gloves from now on, and anyone who isn't sure if it's a good thing is welcome to have a look at my hand.

Maybe the Kite Schools should start using gloves to get new kiters started off on the right path from the very start

Anyway , just something to think about.

On a brighter note l have just ordered my new 16.5m CONTRA from my friendly cabrinha dealer and am fully amped up and looking forward to getting out on the water.

Thanks again to all who have helped out

Strong Winds, BIG Kites Richard

puppetonastring

3619 posts

puppetonastring

WA, 3619 posts

23 Jul 2004 12:14pm

quote:
Originally posted by Richard M.
Last Friday l had my fingers removed from my groin ... One finger is really good and will look normal while the other is about double the size it used to be.

got me wondering here richard

just what part of your groin did they graft back on

you may have to wear that glove 24/7 to avoid being arrested

seriously but - glad to hear you're Ok and keen to go again.
(hope you dont mind my making light of it)

He who enjoys life most - WINS

Damo

641 posts

Damo

WA, 641 posts

25 Jul 2004 11:12am

good to hear that you will be back on the water richard

sooner rather than later we hope.

wearing gloves will give you a small amount of protection but they will not stop the line cutting your finggers off if you get them cought. i have seen boards cut in 2 from lines so a pair of sailing gloves is going to do nothing if you get your hand wraped in a line that pulls tight.
the only way to avoid line injuries is just dont touch your lines when it is likely that the kite could fly.

ianyoung

649 posts

ianyoung

WA, 649 posts

29 Jul 2004 4:50pm

I agree with Damo - gloves won't save your fingers.

Don't forget the situation where your kite is down on the water and you are recovering your bar, or even packing up the kite on the water (after gear failure, etc) - it is very easy to get line wrapped around something and if the kite catches the wind (doesn't even have to take off) or worse still, gets hit by tons of water from a wave then you'll lose something for sure - glove or no gloves.

BTW I lost the tip of my right index finger incl bone when a loop of line snagged while trying to pack up a kite on the water when hit by a mini-typhoon in Okinawa Japan in Jun 2000.

Cheers,
Ian Young
www.flysurf.com.au
0414 716 812

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