Obligatory disclaimer, not a throwaway, didn’t happen today, blah blah.
I drive a truck for a restaurant supply company. We are required to wear boots when we’re operating any company equipment, including trucks. I have problems with my knees, and I have sprained my ankles more times than I can remember. So I have to somehow balance comfort and function whenever I replace my boots.
The place I went only had steel toed boots. I have tried them once, and they were so uncomfortable that I’ve never bought another pair. The only ones I found that didn’t bother my knees were hiking boots. They were comfortable and waterproof, but I didn’t notice that they were not slip-proof.
Before I continue, I should say that the floor inside the back of my truck is metal. There are tiny ridges in it, so it’s not completely smooth, but it can get slippery when it gets wet. And some of the product we carry is on ice (broccoli, brussels sprouts, parsley, etc.).
Friday, it was raining. The floor of my truck was a little wet. The ramp (which also has ridges) was a little wet. My boots were obviously wet. I had about 250 pounds on my hand truck as I was heading down the ramp. My left foot slipped out from under me and my right knee and ankle twisted underneath me.
I somehow managed to step off the side of the ramp with my left leg and get my hand truck to the bottom of the ramp without spilling anything. As I started walking, I felt slight muscle soreness and nothing else. So I kept working.
But by the time I got to my last three stops, I could barely put any weight on it. The pain had spread to my knee and my thigh. I told my boss what was going on and, of course, they didn’t have anyone who could relieve me of my route. So I had to finish the whole thing by myself.
And of course, when I got back I had to fill out an incident report, which my supervisor left on his desk in the office upstairs. I had to climb up two flights and down to flights and then drive myself to the hospital.
The good thing is that nothing is broken. I don’t know what kind of soft tissue damage has been done. I have to try to call Monday (holiday) and see if there is an orthopedic office that will take me.
The bad thing is that I’m missing out on a full day of time and a half for Saturday and a full day of double time plus eight hours holiday pay for Monday. I can’t afford this, in more ways than one. I don’t know how long I’m going to be out of work.
TL;DR – I bought a pair of boots that were unsuitable for work and paid the price.