When Reality Smacks You In The Face—Literally!

Make sure you have a lifeline if unexpectedly needed. (Navy Pier, Chicago)
Leica Minilux (point-and-shoot camera); 40mm f/2.4 lens; Ektachrome film;

When I was a young man, I was fairly athletic.  Not as athletic as some but more athletic than others.  I did okay but I wouldn't call myself a natural athlete.  I had to work at it.  Also, I was pretty agile and quick on my feet.  Today, in my 70s, not so much. Things have changed and that is why I'm writing this.

Let me tell you a quick story of what happened to me this past Monday.  I was walking down my cement driveway toward the street to retrieve our large trash bin.  Monday is the day everyone's trash’s is picked up from the large wheeled receptacles.  As I was about halfway down the driveway, a relative just happened to arrive and started to pull the car into the driveway.  So as to give this relative enough room to easily drive into the driveway, I decided move slightly left to walk on the grass adjacent to the driveway.  As I stepped to the left, unfortunately, the right side of my left foot landed on the edge of the pavement while the left side was over the ground. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue except at that exact spot, the ground is about an inch and a half lower the edge of the driveway. My left foot immediately rolled under and down I went!  Smack!  I face-planted right into the dirt.  With a great jolt, I should add.  It happened faster than I was able to react.  You talk about a surprise!  That was a surprise.

I was stunned for about 10 seconds.  Then instead of trying to immediately get up, I decided to assess if and how I may have been injured.  I didn't want to exacerbate any potential injury by moving body parts that should remain still.  Luckily, my arms, legs, neck (and brain) all worked.  With some help, I got up very slowly and the relative helped me back to the house.  Back in the house I still felt a bit stunned.  That was the worst fall I've ever taken, to the best of my recollection.

That said, in the past, as a much younger man, I've taken similar falls while engaged in athletics, hiking, climbing, working and even walking.  (In the 1970s when I was a young police officer I was "clotheslined" once while chasing a suspect through the back yards of a housing complex.  I was running after him in the dark and the next moment I was lying on my back looking up at the starts.  Luckily the clothesline hit my chest and not my neck!  But I wasn't hurt.  Evidently, he knew where the clotheslines were and I didn't!)  

In all of the cases when I was falling forward, I was able to rotate my body so my shoulder hit first, thereby protecting my head and face.  Not this time.  The fall was too fast and, at my age, my reflexes just didn't allow me to make that maneuver.  Things change.  I've done my best as I've aged to be very cognizant of physical changes that come with age to keep myself safe.  You can't act like your thirty when your 70.  Those who don't realize that fact are asking for trouble.

I know you are wondering about how I'm doing.  Well, I'm doing fine.  No need to worry but thank you for wondering.  However, I did cut my forehead where it violently smacked the hard ground.  No concussion.  (My father was a physician with his office in our home and I grew up 24/7 around medicine and am much more well versed than the average citizen in anatomy, physiology, medical research, etc., so I know the symptoms of concussion and head injuries)  The quick stop and resultant jolt of hitting my face on the ground injured my neck muscles a bit.  But they are fine.  My shoulder is a bit bruised, also fine.  The worst of it affected my wrist and ankle.  My wrist has a slight sprain as does the ankle that rolled under.  The good thing about all this is it could've been worse. Yes, I escaped serious injury of which I am grateful.  Another 6 inches to the right and I would've smacked my face directly on the cement driveway.  If that would have happened, I wouldn't be writing this!

What's all this to do with photography?  It is a stark reminder to all of us that when we are out photographing on our own, or even with friends, we must think about our own safety, take precautions, and ensure that we get back home in one piece.  We can't assume that nothing will happen to us, either medically, physically or even suffer a mechanical problem with our vehicle.

Many times we think we are immune to injury and not prone to anything serious happening to us.  We don't think we will get sick, fall, become injured, have a vehicle breakdown nor anything else that would adversely affect our safe return.  I've felt that way myself.  Most of the time, I practice my photography as a solo endeavor.  I would suspect many of you do as well.  I drive off to who-knows-where looking for interesting subject matter.  I tell my wife about where in a 100 mile (160 km) radius I may be going, but I might end up somewhere completely different.  No one would know where to start looking for me if I had a medical emergency or suffered a debilitating fall.  That is not a good situation to be in.

I was lucky my fall happened in my driveway.  If I would have fallen out in the woods somewhere and hit my head on a stump or rock, it could have been life threatening.  But the fall was a stark reminder that, at any age, or any age for that matter, we are not invincible and it is up to us to prepare for emergencies and take proper precautions.

There are some safety precautions that one can take, whether out for a local drive to find photographic subjects, a day hike or something more long term and remote.  I have an iPhone which has two features.  The "Find My Friends" feature allows my wife to see where my phone is geographically located.  But that works only if there is mobile phone coverage.  Often times, I am deep in the countryside where coverage is sketchy or non-existent.  In that case, the newest iPhones have a feature which allows you, in the case of no coverage, to point your phone to the sky, pick up a satellite and send pre-typed messages for assistance.  That also only works if you are conscious, have the phone on your person and have the ability and wherewithal to point it to the sky.  I haven't owned an Android phone for several years so I don't know if Samsung, Google, Sony and other Android phones have a similar feature.  If you have one of the Android phones, I recommend checking.  Also, I think there are some apps out there that also can provide some tracking of friends and family.  I believe “Life 360” may be one as I have some friends that use that app for tracking each other.

Another idea for safety is to always go with someone else.  The chances of both of you having a medical emergency, being severely injured are far fewer than being out by yourself.  Additionally, a device like the Garmin In-Reach, which readily connects to a satellite and allows you to send messages to your family, friends or rescuers is another worthwhile alternative to consider.

Then there is the standby advice of taking food, water, a blanket, first-aid kit, etc. with you whenever you go out.  I have a first-aid kit (with a pad to stem severe arterial bleeding), flashlight, a few basic tools, two "space" blankets, waterproof matches and a fire starter, mosquito repellent, mosquito netting, sunscreen and other basics in the back of my vehicle at all times.  I always take fresh water and some food when I load my camera gear into the car.  Oh!  Don't forget the hot coffee!  Lol.

Not to drone on, but I fell so fast and so hard that there seemed to be no way to mitigate my fall.  When I was younger, I was able to roll as I fell, but at my age, it seems those days are past.  I have to put other safety measures into place now.

An interesting aspect of this incident was that, as I was falling and saw the ground coming toward my face, it seemed as though it was in slow motion in the sense that my eyes and brain clearly saw and comprehended every detail of what was happening.  It wasn't as though anything slowed down in actuality, but my brain recorded every detail of what my eyes saw as I fell.  I'll call it hyper-aware.  Every blade of grass was clearly visible (and approaching my face very fast!) Weird.  Like I was watching a movie.  I've never experienced that before.

Go out and photograph, but please by all means, think of your safety and do everything you can to prepare for any unforeseen circumstance.  After all, I can't afford to lose any readers!

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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