A few stops back we were backpacking to the bus station. One of the kids complained that the belt on his backpack was hurting him. He unbuckled the waist belt. Normally, you carry most of the weight of a backpack on your waist but with his waist belt unbuckled all of the weight moved up to his shoulders, making him top heavy.
The city we were in had tall curbs and on one of these curbs his toe didn't quite make it over the curb before he tried to step down. Realizing that he was going to fall he leaned forward to catch himself. The extra weight up top pushed his top half down. As he lurched and went down the backpack spun on its straps around his shoulders and ended up more on his neck and head, driving his head down toward the sidewalk.
I saw it happen but could do nothing about it. For a fleeting second I imagined the worst and was thankful that he only experienced a wounded ego. Lesson learned: wear the waist belt on your backpack if you have one! It could have been much worse.
I was really glad it didn't end in a serious injury. Accidents happen in life, many can't be avoided, many could be if we followed simple rules. And isn't it strange how a person can see "something wrong" happening, yet we can't do anything about it? I love reading about your adventures--do everything you can to avoid accidents. Grandpa Hull
ReplyDeleteSo sorry! I know what shock you get when you fall. Stay safe! Love you!! Grandma Giles
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