[Boatanchors] Follow-Up: Death Angel's Kiss

[w5jo at brightok.net]

Dave,

The difference in what you experienced and the electric chair of years past 
is the chair used 1250 volts.  Of course, the current flow in the chair was 
much higher but across your chest what you experienced could have been 
fatal.

I have had 1 K volts applied to my hand and I didn't have any noticeable 
problem from it, thank goodness.

Jim
W5JO


-----Original Message----- 

You probably remember my writing about the close-call with
1800V in the GO-9, now respectfully named "The Snake."

The 1800V jumped to the tip of my left pinkie finger and
blew out in several places along the outside of my left hand,
down to the level of the base of my palm, including a nasty
pair of holes that looked much like a snake bite.
The flesh healed just fine, but the "felling" along the outside
of my left hand has not returned.  The Doc tells me it's not
going to return.  There is a numb stripe from the tip of my
left little finger, along the outside of my hand to the base
of the palm.  The 1800V flash-fried the nerves there.

It's not debilitating or anything- just an annoyance.
Also seems to have aggravated the arthritis in that finger.
Had that lightening gone across my chest,
what nerve bundles would it have fried?
It is a forever-more reminder of the result of one moment
of inattention, one time getting our safety procedures
out of order, one arrogance, thinking we're smarter
than Safety rules, might be our last.

GL OM ES 73 DE Dave AB5S