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UER Forum > UE Main > Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real (Viewed 137791 times)
blackhawk 

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Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< on 5/9/2016 4:54 PM >
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Hellholes are real; each -step- & -handhold- you take counts. There's zero room for error; you fall, you die.
When you move 100% of your attention needs to focused on just that, not looking around at unrelated attractions. Stop and plant yourself to look or shoot. Keep moving and shooting separate from each other even if it's just a step... that's all it takes to end up a statistic. If you fall, it's your fault and once in a free fall you have little or no control of the outcome.

Never underestimate what you're walking on. Many of us, myself included have come close to being a victim. Missile silo stair cases that are missing mid span, holes in floors huge and man sized, open manholes, and death holes covered by cardboard, carpet, or rotten plywood. Instant death or maiming is the reward for a fuck up.

Making it out in one piece is all that counts at the end of the day. Abort a climb or exploration if it seems too dangerous or beyond your capabilities; this will happen to you eventually if you explore in unknown environments. Being a pussy is better than being a splatter mark.

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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 1 on 5/9/2016 4:59 PM >
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I did a floor transition from solid to rotten enough in one step that I put my foot through it. Fortunately I was able to catch myself on a truss support.

I've also been at the top of a grain silo that had most of its conveyor equipment removed leaving just open holes all the way through to the bottom of the silo. And yes some of these holes were covered with cardboard.



[last edit 5/9/2016 8:02 PM by CaptOrbit - edited 1 times]

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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 2 on 5/9/2016 7:43 PM >
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Great advice.

About 10 years ago I stepped on a patch of rotten wood that gave way without warning. Luckily, as my life flashed before my eyes, I caught myself and had a group of friends near to help me back up. The scariest part was looking through the hole after...nothing but rusty pipes about three stories down.

Needless to say I've been a lot more careful since.



[last edit 5/9/2016 7:44 PM by Coty - edited 1 times]

relik 


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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 3 on 5/9/2016 8:31 PM >
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Occasionally walking and not paying attention to where i'm stepping is a problem i sometimes have. I'd like to say i've learned my lesson by now, but until i'm a splatter mark, i'm not so sure i will. Maybe i've gotten lucky thus far.. I've only stepped through a few floors, and i've never fallen through a hole or out a suicide door or anything.
I guess it really depends on the type of location. I'm much more careful in a factory than a farm house.
I'm more of a nail-in-the-foot type of guy, anyways.




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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 4 on 5/9/2016 9:05 PM >
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First time this happened was in one of the Fairview Ave buildings at Overbrook. Took one step off the concrete staircase onto the wooden floor and my foot went right through. That was a minor thing.


Second time was at a get together on the roof of a power plant. I was standing on the metal grate style flooring, when I started to feel like I was sinking. I realized what was happening and jumped off. The pieces of the floor found the floor about 70 feet below. That was a buzzkill, and we left shortly afterwards.


The most recent time was on North Brother Island. I was taking the stairs up in the main infirmary building, when the step I was on completely gave out under me. I moved up the remaining stairs quickly and yelled at my girlfriend to meet me at the other set. Ever since the last one I've been watching every step.




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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 5 on 5/9/2016 9:06 PM >
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Post by relik
I'm more of a nail-in-the-foot type of guy, anyways.


Ugh That's actually the one thing that I worry about the most. I think my feet are magnetic.




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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 6 on 5/9/2016 9:14 PM >
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I was with someone from the PSW on about the 25th floor of a silo tower. Buddy walked over a sheet of plywood on the ground that started to buckle. Jumped off it real quick and we lifted it up to see what was underneath, a straight free fall into pitch darkness to the bottom of the silo. He was extremely lucky that day.




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Ground State 


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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 7 on 5/9/2016 9:34 PM >
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I'm one of the lucky ones.

I lived, but this is me now....



After six months of physio, my arm is 100% again as of about 3 weeks ago. Thankfully, I had full coverage. Otherwise, I'd be out 57 visits x $55 each = $3,135. And that's in Canada, where I had free health care for the initial treatment and surgery.

All this because I chanced a floor that I already knew was weak. But after visiting hundreds of locations, my overconfidence caused a momentary lapse of reason... and that's all it took.

Dislocation, fracture and shoulder pins aside, if there had been a nail or wire inside the floor that I went through that tore my femoral artery, I would have died for sure.





[last edit 5/9/2016 9:43 PM by Ground State - edited 1 times]

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Granuaile 


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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 8 on 5/9/2016 9:48 PM >
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Definitely had a close call or two. I hate wooden stairs and rusted grates for life. I've always either went across something questionable really fast or very slowly. I cross nothing without a quick test of course. I'm getting more cautious as time goes on and reading these kinds of stories help remind me to think about where I'm walking.

I've just been lucky. Be safe out there everyone!



[last edit 5/9/2016 9:48 PM by Granuaile - edited 1 times]

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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 9 on 5/9/2016 9:59 PM >
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I worked construction when I was younger saw two co-workers fall one died instantly the other got snagged by a piece of re-bar under the left pectoral muscle, fall would've killed him, a little more puncture depth wouldve killed him, but he recovered, went on to become a fire fighter and broke his damn leg in several places first day of rappelling class! Some guys.

My fallin phobia is most recently driven by an old iron staircase in a grain elevator head house that began to sway and lean about a foot away from the wall when I was like two stories up, shit man I can still feel the pucker!




blackhawk 

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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 10 on 5/9/2016 10:32 PM >
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Posted by EsseXploreR
First time this happened was in one of the Fairview Ave buildings at Overbrook. Took one step off the concrete staircase onto the wooden floor and my foot went right through. That was a minor thing.


Second time was at a get together on the roof of a power plant. I was standing on the metal grate style flooring, when I started to feel like I was sinking. I realized what was happening and jumped off. The pieces of the floor found the floor about 70 feet below. That was a buzzkill, and we left shortly afterwards.


The most recent time was on North Brother Island. I was taking the stairs up in the main infirmary building, when the step I was on completely gave out under me. I moved up the remaining stairs quickly and yelled at my girlfriend to meet me at the other set. Ever since the last one I've been watching every step.


That was a death ride for sure.
Fast reflexes aren't enough; you need to do the right thing too, fast!
You did both. Kudos on your quickness

Posted by Ground State
I'm one of the lucky ones.

I lived, but this is me now....

387339.jpg (129 kb, 594x466)
click to view



After six months of physio, my arm is 100% again as of about 3 weeks ago. Thankfully, I had full coverage. Otherwise, I'd be out 57 visits x $55 each = $3,135. And that's in Canada, where I had free health care for the initial treatment and surgery.

All this because I chanced a floor that I already knew was weak. But after visiting hundreds of locations, my overconfidence caused a momentary lapse of reason... and that's all it took.

Dislocation, fracture and shoulder pins aside, if there had been a nail or wire inside the floor that I went through that tore my femoral artery, I would have died for sure.





Damn, I hate to see you be unlucky
Good story and unfortunately it can happen all too easily. Collapsing floors is one of the most terrifying primal fears of exploring. Until you experience it, you don't known. Unfortunately fast reflexes aren't always enough. I've barely escaped twice from small floor collapses. Add another couple that didn't but were ready to go... my bad.


Posted by Granuaile
I cross nothing without a quick test of course. I'm getting more cautious as time goes on and reading these kinds of stories help remind me to think about where I'm walking.

I've just been lucky. Be safe out there everyone!


Unfortunately many times quick tests don't work. Failures can be instant with no warning (see below). Quick reflexes can sometimes save you, never freeze up or close your eyes if things go to hell... keep plugging for a way out.

Posted by 2Xplorations
I worked construction when I was younger saw two co-workers fall one died instantly the other got snagged by a piece of re-bar under the left pectoral muscle, fall would've killed him, a little more puncture depth wouldve killed him, but he recovered, went on to become a fire fighter and broke his damn leg in several places first day of rappelling class! Some guys.

My fallin phobia is most recently driven by an old iron staircase in a grain elevator head house that began to sway and lean about a foot away from the wall when I was like two stories up, shit man I can still feel the pucker!


Anchor bolt failures are a big problem. I've nearly been crushed and many like yourself have come way too close to a ride from hell because of them. Just because it's concrete don't make it safe. Worse, most times the anchor bolt or... rebar corrosion isn't visible. A structural engineer was killed at Byberry 8 years ago or so when set of concrete stairs collapsed from his weight. Fuck me silly with an Easter lily... be wary.



[last edit 5/9/2016 11:01 PM by blackhawk - edited 4 times]

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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 11 on 5/10/2016 1:18 AM >
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1.


old grain elevators have Hell holes in the floors, Hell holes in the walls this one however was thoughtfully labeled to warn (or encourage) the next victim






blackhawk 

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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 12 on 5/10/2016 1:35 AM >
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Quarter inch plate welded on anchor plates be better. Too much trouble to save a life I guess...

Does anyone know about this KIA or the area of the Fremantle power station were he fell?

http://www.watoday...160502-gok5jb.html




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NotQuiteHuman 


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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 13 on 5/10/2016 2:49 AM >
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Seeing this hole was an eye opener. I'm usually on the lookout for the little death traps, but it's even harder to predict when half the building is going to give out.



[last edit 5/10/2016 2:50 AM by NotQuiteHuman - edited 1 times]

CaptOrbit 


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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 14 on 5/10/2016 3:19 AM >
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I forgot that I had two more non-eventful hellholes

One was in the office complex of an old incinerator my wife and I were standing with a city engineer and a facilities manager when all four of us dropped through the floor. Fortunately we only fell about 4 inches on to the slab. It was still pretty unnerving though.

The other was in a hallway of a hotel in Harvey Illinois. I couldn't tell that the floor was bad because of the carpeting. As it turns out that same carpet saved me from going through the floor. One Step the floor feels a little squishy The Next Step the carpet is the only thing holding me up.




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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 15 on 5/10/2016 8:03 AM >
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The only times I put myself at risk for falling through a floor is if I believe that most likely I will get away with minimal injuries. Only time I've ever fallen through was on a roof covered in snow, leg punched through but I caught myself, even if I had fallen through injury would be unlikely.

Maybe somehow I would have fallen over funny and killed myself on a spike but things like that can happen at any time so I don't take those risks into consideration.




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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 16 on 5/10/2016 3:33 PM >
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One time I almost fell through a hole into the Underworld. But I caught myself in time.




Before jumping to conclusions, I'm not a Nazi.
blackhawk 

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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 17 on 5/10/2016 3:46 PM >
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Posted by Landser
One time I almost fell through a hole into the Underworld. But I caught myself in time.


Not really... Welcome to hell.




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Freak 


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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 18 on 5/10/2016 4:13 PM >
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I've come across a few nasty ones. A fun trick from the old days seems to be throwing a few bed frames over a mine shaft. Kinda-sorta blocks it for a while, but after 100 years of rain and leaf build-up you have a nice solid-looking patch of forest held up by nothing but rusty bed springs.


Example without the moss and dirt on top that sometimes hides these:




Another fun one are shafts in the floor of old mine tunnels. If the miners weren't using it any more, sometimes they'd just throw some logs or boards over it. Add 100 years and some dirt on top, and you've got a perfect booby trap.

Fortunately this one wasn't 100% hidden by rocks:




Ladders that aren't anchored are also a "fun" one. In storm drains I've had everything from iron rungs to brand-new modern plastic rungs pop out of the wall on me. It's also fun to reach the top of a ladder and find there's about 1/8" of rust holding it onto the wall...





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Re: Freefallin'... Hellholes are Real
< Reply # 19 on 5/10/2016 5:26 PM >
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Once upon a time the PSW had a very well hidden and secret entrance to a bunker complex in the mountains of the Golden Gate. Well, too much talking and posting about it publicly in the forums inspired egg-shell minded children to go out and explore it on their own. By this time the park service had already filled in the entrance as best they could (not well enough) and cut the rebar ladder leading down into the complex.

A group of kids brand new to exploring found the entrance b/c of this forum, rigged up their own rappelling "gear" and proceeded down the entrance shaft where the rebar ladder used to be (I'd say a 35-40ft drop). Well guess what, the rope system they were using *snapped* and the kid fell to the bottom of the shaft. Survived but in bad shape. Local FD had to come out, break the welds on the blast doors and enter from the ground floor. That kid went to the hospital. His friends and the entire rescue Op ended up in the media.

Since that time the bunker complex has never been explored again.

Kid made a profile on here after his recovery and posted in the forum one time, and then never came back.

IDIOT.




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