Dropped a 737 brake assembly on my foot last Tuesday

I was pulling a brake assembly off a 737 at the hangar in Phoenix when it slipped out of my hand and landed right on my steel toe. Heard a crunch and thought I broke something for sure. X-ray showed nothing cracked but my big toe is still purple and swollen four days later. Anyone else had a close call with heavy components and ended up okay?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_wells21d ago

Did you ever think steel toes were just for show? I used to roll my eyes at safety meetings but after dropping a hydraulic jack on my foot last year I totally get why we're so strict about them now.

sandra_bennett5921d ago

Funny you mention that, my cousin dropped a box of fittings on his foot once (pre-steel toe days) and limped around for weeks. He still jokes that his toes looked like purple grapes, which is disgusting but it made me a true believer in safety gear.

robins8321d ago

Haven’t you ever wished steel toes were a little higher up the foot? I had a similar thing happen with a landing gear strut pin a few years back, except it bounced off my boot and hit my ankle instead. That sucker swelled up like a tennis ball for a week, and I was walking funny every time I went up the ladder. The x-ray was clear too, but the bruise looked like someone colored my leg with a purple marker. Kinda makes you wonder if we need steel-toed boots or steel-toed everything.