Greetings Everyone,
Just thought that I would share an escape experience that I had a couple of days ago. I was at an elementary school in Atlanta and I was performing my second and final show of the morning. I end my program with my straitjacket escape done to music and it's also timed by a teacher. I also use a chain around it and let them wrap me up and lock it.

At the point in the escape that I get out of the chain, I always back up a bit to dump it off so that I can have plenty of room to move around at the front of the stage. However, this time as I dipped down to let it fall completely off my head/neck, my foot came down on the chain and, as I stepped forward, BAM!, the chain slid out from under my feet and the next thing I know - I am laying on the ground having just landed with full force on my shoulder and all the breath was knocked out of me as well.

So, I stay there for a second and then realize that I still have to get out - the show must go on. The only problem is that I can't feel my left arm or shoulder at all - it was completely numb. So, I got up to my feet and used my right arm to "move" my left arm for my comedy bit of hitting myself in the head - then I used my right arm to throw my left arm up and over my head. After that I could just use my right arm to undo the arm strap and crotch strap. I was still able to get out with the usual 2 seconds left and got a standing ovation by the entire crowd of kids and teachers, and the teacher on stage even came over and raised my hand in victory!

As that concludes my show - I then usually give the students instructions on how to leave silently, but as I was doing that my vision started getting bright and a ringing came into my ears. I was holding onto my table and praying that I would not pass out on stage in front of the whole crowd. Thankfully I was able to stand there and wait until all the kids were out then I plopped down on the stage and sat for a few minutes to catch my breath. The media specialist came up and said that several teachers were asking if that was part of the show when I fell and she was very impressed that I was able to get up and keep going. A few of the students in the front, while they were applauding, also asked if I was ok!

Once the feeling came back in my arm - that is another story! It hurts big time! Thankfully I have no more shows this week and my next staitjacket escape is not until next week. And I will be even more careful than ever about stepping on the chain!

I must say though that I was quite proud of the fact that I got up and kept going - it made for a very impressive escape and made quite an impact on the audience -but I do hope it never happens again!

Just wanted to share!
Chad

The show must go on...

You my friend need to go see a doctor, ASAP.

When I flew off my bike 2 years ago I thought I was just bruised and banged up. Turned out I had a hairline fracture that treated right healed on its' own. Treated wrong would have required surgery.

Go see a doctor. If I had done a straitjacket escape with my fracture too soon I would have been very sorry.

Is that similar to being tied in a hundred feet of rope and your "assistant" drops you, allowing you to fall into the audience head first?

Ouch! Thankfully I didn't fall on my head! And also thankfully, I had my arms strapped in - if I would have tried to catch myself I probably would have broken my arm or collarbone, etc.

Ouch indeed, I WAS gonna do some practice on escaping the strait jacket I just got, methinks I will wait for a bit til the memory of this story fades just a bit LOL. Hope the arm is doing good!

No, no... Go ahead and practice, just don't hang upside down from a burning rope, just yet and make sure you trust your friend to stay until you get out.

Heh it will be my wife helping me...perhaps I should wait and find someone I KNOW will release me if I can't get out LOL

If I do end up having to go to the doctor, I can already see the fun conversation. "Now, how did you hurt your shoulder and arm again?" "Well Doc, these three women strapped me into a straitjacket and then wrapped me up in some chains..."

You should have seen me begging the Orthopedist to let me do an escape a week early before I had his 100% approval.

Well, I gave in and am headed to the doc today at 1:45pm. We'll see what they say...

I predict, he will say

Even though this is a dangerous operation.... I myself have never been hurt.

So, he looks at my arm for about 30 seconds - gives me a prescription for the anti-inflammatory medicine and tells me to come back in 7-10 days. He thinks it's just shocked/inflamed tendons/ligaments. He also says that I can do anything/movement that doesn't hurt.

Hmm...

Man you missed the EA convention where Gunnerson was chained in a cage and couldn't escape. He rolled around slamming the cage into his forehead where it left big marks. And you missed the time Burris was buried alive, for real. I've heard of an EA who was upside down and the rope broke and I can't remember if he landed on his head or not. Oh well, all in a days work. Oh Yeah, What about the assistant that was sawed in half, for real, in the mid 60's in South America.

Glad you went to see the doc. It doesn't matter that he did not treat you more than anti-inflammatory meds. What matters is that you had it checked for hairline fractures and other tears.

Years ago I took a fall at the Hollywood Bowl. I landed in a "push up" position, that left me with severe tendinitis in both wrists. The pain was horrible and horse pills barely took the edge off. I ended up going for Acupuncture which did work, but I still take it easy on the handcuff work due to the past wrist injury. The point is take your injury seriously. If the anti inflamitories don't work well or for long, look into the next step.

Jay: Margarette fell on her head. I don't know if the rope broke, came loose from the harness, or got released early, but she fell six feet. swearing on the way down.

This is why I don't do aerial escapes.
With water escapes, I have the theoretical chance of 'swimming for it'; if an aerial escape goes wrong, I can't flap my arms and fly.

Hahaha Steve- great line!

OK Once before doing an underwater escape I had unknowingly broken my finger at the knuckle. A doctor felt it and said what the hell, that's a huge break, I said no way its been like that for a few weeks, just hurts so I keep playing volleyball and riding thinking it will train it back right.
So gets a splint of aluminum placed around finger and bandaged all over the wrist.
Next day I had to do an underwater escape with 30 pounds of chains, locks and the splint,,,,it was fun,,,,got a great writeup and pics and went directly down to hospital because next day surgery for finger.
The doc was a fan of Houdini and one of my dads friends so they just used a local to numb my arm.
They re broke the break and inserted a long pin in. The doc lifted my hand up with the pin sticking out about 6 nches and said hey mike, if you want I can bend the end into the shape of a lockpick....t

they were cool in the operating room
any way injuries don't matter in an escape,,,,,
you play through
I once during a handcuff challenge fell forward in a waist chain plastic box handcuff setup, levered my wrist and heard it snap...
had a nurse come on stage and yes, she said it was broke
I asked the folks if they would just position the cuff up higher then the break and I would try to continue the escape while in the arirtight bag
promotoer was grabbing my wife saying WTF how do you stop him
wife said he would chew his arm off....
escape went well

So... did ya/ Did ya have them bend the pin into the shape of a lock pick?