Flashback

This is a pic of a filled in pothole. I took this one because anytime I see or smell fresh asphalt I have flashbacks to when I was 7 years old and fell in some and burnt both of my legs from my toes to my hips. I had 1st to 2nd degree burns and almost lost my little toe.


I figured from some of the comments I got on this in my last post I would go into more detail to explain my total flashback on this. I was around 7 years old when this happened. Here's how I remember that day. Some of my friends in the neighborhood & I were riding our bikes in the alley behind my house. The city was going around filling in potholes on the streets and alley's that day. I'm thinking this is around August, not too sure on that but I remember I had on a bathing suit. In our alley we had several potholes, one of which was the width of the alley and about 3 or 4 houses from our house.

The city street department came down our alley and filled all the potholes with asphalt which needed to be done but later we found out that our alley wasn't supposed to be done yet. They didn't barricade off the alley and I of course continued to ride my bike. Now I didn't try to go through the asphalt I tried to go around it. In my trying to go around it my bike tire hit a bump and tossed me in the center of the hole. (My mom is at work at this time and it's just my dad at home) I screamed DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!!!!! so loud that that our whole block and parts of the neighboring blocks heard me. (To this day I don't think I ever got the final D on Dad). Anyway my came running out of the house and ran to me and walked in the asphalt in sandals and carried me out. He ran me to the house as quick as he could and put in the bathtub with cold water. He filled a bucket with water and put it in his truck with a wash cloth to put over my legs to keep it cool. He then preceded to call the hospital my mom worked housekeeping in and told them he was bringing me in and what happened and not to page my mom till I got there. On the way to the hospital we drove by the city truck that filled our alley and dad flipped them off. We finally get to the hospital.

Now I'm going from what my parents told me. The ER was trying to figure out what to do to get the asphalt off of my legs. Mom and dad both told me that an intern came in and asked for a case of mineral oil. They finally got the asphalt off of my legs and bandaged me up and gave me a room for the next few days. I had a cage over my legs to keep the blankets from hurting them. Eventually I went to surgery for what my mom called debrement ( They scraped my legs clean from any remaining asphalt and blisters) and I went home after a few days and remained in a wheelchair for a couple of weeks. My mom told me the intern saved my legs and my little toe on my left foot. I thank this guy to this day for that. All I have remaining is a small scar on my right big toe and I don't tan at all on my legs. I get a sunburn as red as a lobster sometimes and just go right back to white. Now anytime I smell fresh asphalt or even see it I get this flashback. I've learned to deal with it but it still stays.

As for the city street department my parents sued them and the guys who did our alley that day got fired and the city paid for my hospitalization and I had $2000 put in an account for me for when I turned 18.