The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

many many moons ago when i ran a framing crew in upstate N.Y i  saw a guy bet another guy 50 bucks he could jump off a two story roof and walk way.he did it!!! i could not believe it. i saw it with my two eyes . the guy grabbed a full  piece of OSB plywood  and walk to the freak-en peck. just before he hit the ground he threw the ply wood and rolled. don't get me wrong. he hit hard .but the guy was younger framer that weighed about 150 soaken wet. THAT IS A TRUE STORY...

Roof Cleaning St Louis Missouri (636) 221 2582 wrote:

---

I was thinking the other day (while I was standing on a roof) if anyone on RCIA would admit to falling off a roof or ladder and how high. I know some people have said they have fallen off but not how high.

---

I was in South Florida in 1999, and it was hurricane season. My two helpers had gotten paid the day before (Friday) and decided not to show up for work (too hungover) the next day leaving me all alone to do a 5,500 square foot tile roof all alone.

I was pressure cleaning clay tile roofs with a hot water pressure cleaner that pushed 5gpm@ 3000psi and a Hover Cover surface cleaner in those days.

I have always used a version of the LOVE method too at times but still hadn't completely got away from the high pressure method yet at that time (mainly for concrete flat tile and barrel tile and clay Terra cotta roofs, NEVER shingle)

Anyway, I was all alone, on a very large 2 story home with a tile roof, the clouds had started gathering above and I had worked for about 6 hours cleaning this big roof when it started to sprinkle and then a little while later began to thunder and later lightening way off in the distance. Knowing that if I could see and hear lightening I was TOO CLOSE and was scrambling to finish this big job so I could get paid. I was almost finished but still needed to clean the roof over the attached garage.

I started on it and about halfway thru there was a HUGE lightening strike about 3 miles from me where the lightening hit a big lake and it made a huge BOOM!

Well, it was enough to scare the HELL me, so much so that I lost my footing and got my foot in a loop of 3/8" pressure washing hose.

As I tried to free myself I slipped and ended up hitting the roof at the peak, HARD, right on my ribs, which I immediately felt huge pain from (I later found out I broke 3 ribs).

Then I rolled down this steep pitched roof and only saved myself by grabbing the gutter at the last minute as I went off the edge.

The gutter only slowed my fall as I had it rip from the fascia and I plummeted to the ground below.

I laid there for a long time. Luckily, I had installed a remote controlled on-off switch on my washer so I was able to, thankfully, reach in my pocket and shut my equipment down.

It was just my luck, that this home was on a cul-de-sac and the homeowner wasn't home.

The  real crime was that No one even knew I had fallen.

Finally, amazingly, I was able to gimp back to the truck and roll up all my equipment and slowly make my way back home.

I got back home and got in my house and laid on the couch and fell asleep.

When I woke up I couldn't move. My body had set up and ribs had swollen and I could even roll off the couch.

The terrible part of this was that I lived alone at the time and the phone was a cordless and I had left it upstairs and my cell was left in the truck.

I spent two and a half days on that darned couch (it was pretty darned bad) with no food or water or other essentials, and I couldn't even go reliev myself, I tell you now, it was BAD NEWS!

Finally I was able to crawl with all my might and being to the door and get out to the road, and everyone was still at work and hadn't arrived home yet in my area.

Luckily, a new renter had moved in caddy corner to me, a nice woman and a real looker,a cute, blonde bomb shell that I had meant to talk to anyway at some point.

What an opportunity, LOL, just the worst possible timing for a relationship but great for a ride to the ER, LOL.I was so glad she found me, like an angel scooped me up and took me to the hospital.

They took x-rays, and told me that not only had I broke 3 ribs but I had ALSO slightly compressed my spleen and had some internal bleeding but that I had waited so long that the bleeding had thankfully stopped on its own and that it was 50/50 that I may need surgery to repair my damaged spleen since my body seemed like it was trying to heal itself.

I opted to not do the surgery and take my chances and ended up with about 1-1/2 months of bedrest and then light duty work release and eventually made a full recovery thank god.

The good news out of all the bad was MAINLY that I survived and almost ended up marrying the NEIGHBOR. Yes, I ended up staying with her and she nursed me back to health. We dated for almost a year after that. LOL

What A story and what a relationship. You got to LOVE a full blooded Italian woman.

Mama Mia'

I hope this ROOF story was a laugh for some, fun for others and a lesson for ALL.

NEVER work alone in an area where nobody knows your even there and always have a groundsman, and also hope for the best..but....plan for the worst, know what I mean?

I know it was a hell of a ride down the side of that barrel tile roof and doozy of a drop to the ground.

The icing on the turd was I got the girl. :) ........Temporarily :(

Be safe and enjoy your day Guys.

David W.


-- Edited by Roof Clean USA Georgia 229-227-0000 on Saturday 20th of June 2009 11:27:05 AM

Wow, don't think an 'I walked up hill both ways" story will ever top that Mr Dave W. Glad everything turned out ok in the end. I once tore my shoulder apart during a 15000 ft sky dive and landed in a lake but everyone was there to come get me. Not even close to what you went through.