High Voltage

I got shocked occasionally, and learned to keep my distance in a hurry, but one day I learned extra good. We had several short step ladders that served as chairs too. They had a large step at the top that just the right level to sit on, and this step was split lengthwise down the middle, with a hinge at the split.

One day we got an old TV in that had a metal picture tube in it. The entire metal cone was charged with about 20,000 volts, and I was scared to death of it.

It didn’t make me any happier to have Roy tell me he wanted me to adjust the tuner on it, because the adjustments were close to the metal cone.

I was peering around the face of the tube trying to see the picture while I adjusted the screws, and I felt the hair start to stand up on my arm. Instantly I knew I was too close to the picture tube. I don’t know whether I jumped and hit the tube, or if the voltage jumped the gap, but I got zapped good. It went up my arm, through my belt and into the bench.

I was thrown back against the bench on the opposite wall, and I whirled around and landed on top of one of the step ladders.

This particular one had been partially folded up, however, and the split in the middle of the seat was gaping open like the Jaws of Hell when I landed on it. The legs shot out into the unfolded state, and the top shelf clamped down on the cheeks of my butt like a giant pair of pliers. My weight held me captive, and I fought and screamed, trying to get loose.

I squirmed and pushed at the shelf that had me in its grip, but I couldn’t get loose as long as I had my weight on it. I finally crashed sideways to the floor.

When I got up, I was hurting from my arm due to the shock, from my back due to hitting the bench, from my backside from being pinched by the stepladder, and my leg and other arm from falling on the floor. I worked the rest of the day standing up.