Terradax,
I feel your pain! Intimately.
My first real job, (besides a newspaper route), was working on a construction crew. I was 15. My job was to staple down the chicken wire and foam that was used instead of expanded metal lath on stick construction homes. The Senco guns I used had an auto nose trigger and a finger trigger. The finger triggers were notorious for sticking after being used for many hours, and I had to clean them daily. (Most of you will cringe at the auto trigger mention. Understand that pulling the trigger between 30,000 and 50,000 times a day, isn't going to happen.) I was trained to set the nose of the gun down on my foot when setting the gun down to do other work, such as hammering in a staple that hit a knot, didn't drive all the way due to low air pressure, or any number of other scenarios. I always checked to make sure the finger trigger hadn't stuck prior to doing this.
On this particular day, it was getting close to quitting time, and sure enough, low pressure. I checked the trigger and set the gun down as I had for almost a year. I had never had the auto trigger stick, but this day it did. It fired that 2.5" staple right through my boot, foot, the matal shank in the sole of the boot, and into the plank.
You are right, it happens so fast, you don't even feel it. The reaction is to jump out of the way. Needless to say, that didn't happen, though I disticntly remember trying.....
My boss was standing on the next scaffold, and saw the whole thing. He had to cut the crown off the staple so I could step off of it. 2 xrays later, it was determined I also got very lucky, and broke no bones in my foot. The staple literally slid betwwen all those miscellaneous bones in my foot.
Processes at the company were changed immediately, as well as not buying Senco guns anymore. Senco actually stepped up and paid for all the bills, as well as my down time. I never used another gun from them, but I understand they actually redesigned the nose a couple years later.
I'll never forget that day. My cousin, whose hubby was my boss, reminds me of it everytime I see her......
