LEGO related injuries?

[Boulderer]

Ok, we all tread on a brick now and then; it's an accepted hazard of our pastime. What I'm interested in is any other injuries that people have suffered related to LEGO.

Personally, I've been suffering for months with tendon problems in my elbow. I had put it down to sport but, I'm now convinced its more to do with the sacred brick than anything else. I'll probably stick with calling it tennis elbow though. Lego elbow just doesn't seem to sound very convincing

So, over to you ... any interesting, gruesome or just plain amusing tales to tell?

[Modelmaker]

When i was younger i built a technic cable car and ran a cable (cheap string) from my bedroom window 3 floors up down to a tree in the back yard. The cable car ran on and old 4.5v train motor and had to carry one of the old square battery boxes with 3 batteries inside. It ran great for a few weeks. I'd set it off from my bedroom and run down to yard in time to catch it and switch it in reverse and send it back up again. It even ferried packages back and forth, great fun. Until it's last run down to the yard. As usual i ran down to meet it and was standing under it looking up when the cable snapped, probably from wear and tear. Either the motor or the battery box caught me full force on the forehead and i ended up with 7 stitches. I never rebuilt it after that

Edited July 27, 2014 by Modelmaker

[TheLegoExperience]

I've broken nails before. Separating LEGO plates was hard before the separator came back!

[Boulderer]

When i was younger i built a technic cable car and ran a cable (cheap string) from my bedroom window 3 floors up down to a tree in the back yard. The cable car ran on and old 4.5v train motor and had to carry one of the old square battery boxes with 3 batteries inside. It ran great for a few weeks. I'd set it off from my bedroom and run down to yard in time to catch it and switch it in reverse and send it back up again. It even ferried packages back and forth, great fun. Until it's last run down to the yard. As usual i ran down to meet it and was standing under it looking up when the cable snapped, probably from wear and tear. Either the motor or the battery box caught me full force on the forehead and i ended up with 7 stitches. I never rebuilt it after that

There's a You've Been Framed moment, if ever there was one

I've broken nails before. Separating LEGO plates was hard before the separator came back!

Ah, the dreaded broken nail! And the price of manicures isn't getting any lower

[-Horizon-]

When i was younger i built a technic cable car and ran a cable (cheap string) from my bedroom window 3 floors up down to a tree in the back yard. The cable car ran on and old 4.5v train motor and had to carry one of the old square battery boxes with 3 batteries inside. It ran great for a few weeks. I'd set it off from my bedroom and run down to yard in time to catch it and switch it in reverse and send it back up again. It even ferried packages back and forth, great fun. Until it's last run down to the yard. As usual i ran down to meet it and was standing under it looking up when the cable snapped, probably from wear and tear. Either the motor or the battery box caught me full force on the forehead and i ended up with 7 stitches. I never rebuilt it after that

That's a pretty beast sounding model.

If swallowing LEGO counts done that a lot.

[Modelmaker]

I still have the basic instructions it was based on. it's in the Technic ideas book 8889 from 1984 page 100 http://bricks.argz.com/ins/8889-1 but mine was altered to use the bigger train motor and battery box from set 182. bigger and heavier to insure a K.O. on the first hit I had the perfect imprint of the base of which ever piece did the damage, all the little circles and the sharp 90 degree corner that did the damage. I really wish someone would have caught it on camera

[Zerobricks]

Got flying lego-made rotor blades in my eye...Yeah not fun...But didnt give up, made that thing fly a bit!

[Boulderer]

Got flying lego-made rotor blades in my eye...Yeah not fun...But didnt give up, made that thing fly a bit!

That has reminded me of several near misses I had as a kid, back before the Dark Age.

We used to build helicopter launch pads using Lego and beef them up with high speed motors from RC cars. The rotors were made from sheet metal from biscuit tins, taped to a Lego gear and mounted via an axle to the launcher. The number of times I ended up with a quivering rotor stuck in the wall of the shed, right next to me ... makes me shudder to think back

[Phrea]

Got flying lego-made rotor blades in my eye...Yeah not fun...But didnt give up, made that thing fly a bit!

I watched all of your attempts, it was brilliant, and it indeed 'flew' a bit ! :D

[obsidianheart]

Cut the palm of my left hand open a few years ago on an old plate that snapped in half when I was trying to take off of another plate.

Gotten plate corners jammed under my fingernails so that they bled before.

[Paul B Technic]

I have cut myself on pieces, broken finger nails, a few flying pieces in the eyes and some sore fingers for extended building sessions :(

[syy89]

For me, just sore fingertips and scratched nails.

[jluck]

Seems like the one we can all relate to is stepping on a brick...personally, I've found the 1x1 to be the most painful Also, we used to load our rubber band sling shots with Lego "shrapnel" which was unpleasant if it found its mark.

[Xyver]

Broken nails are a given, sore fingers a definite.

My worst injury (if you can call it that) was a cut thumb while putting 800 1x2 bricks together to form a circle 80 bricks around and 10 high. Left a little bit of blood behind on some of the pieces too.

That creation is still together a couple of years later, really fascinates the kids as bending bricks like that is not something they normally see. It's bigger now too, put a couple extra rows of bricks and plates onto it. Must be around 1,500 pieces nowadays.

[dr_spock]

Separated nails and sore fingers.

[Boulderer]

Seems like the one we can all relate to is stepping on a brick...personally, I've found the 1x1 to be the most painful Also, we used to load our rubber band sling shots with Lego "shrapnel" which was unpleasant if it found its mark.

Ah! The days of using Lego as a projectile. I recall a number of rubber band guns made from Lego ... the creak of stressed Lego as the power was upped with just one too many rubber bands. Then the search for all the pieces after the inevitable implosion

[talos]

I accidentally walked into my table in the dark, I forgot I had opened up the leaf, and it was in the way and bam! I have a pretty good bruise on my leg, and it knocked over every single minifig that was standing up. All the buildings survived, so Lego is earthquake proof..haha, this is Calif. earthquake country after all... :-)

[Zerobricks]

Oh another one... I once managed to jump on the normal black friction pin in such manner, it got embedded in my heal, like 1 stud deep... Bloodiest pin I ever saw.

[iamwhoiam]

Once I was trying to seperate two bricks and I got a 1mm deep gash in my hand!

[LEGO Guy Bri]

Some of these sound pretty brutal! Alas, I'm another with sore fingers from separating plates and experienced stepping in a stray brick a few times. Thankfully, that's the worst of it

[AncientDayz]

Bruised heal. Sore finger. Separated nail ...however, no blood or battle scares. How will I ever show my face around the LEGO table when old "war" stories become the major topic (picturing the scene in Jaws when they're drunk and showing their shark bite scars)!?!

"Show me the way to go home / I'm tired and I want to go to bed / Had a drink about an hour ago, and it went straight to my head... Dum dum dum..." Good movie. Sorry for the singing.

[grum64]

When putting technic pins in place or pressing pieces together I very often end up with the pieces joined to and hanging from my lip. My Wife says I look like a dog with a stick!

Hurts like heck and more often than not bleeds like billy o when pulled off!

Edited August 1, 2014 by grum64

[Boulderer]

Oh another one... I once managed to jump on the normal black friction pin in such manner, it got embedded in my heal, like 1 stud deep... Bloodiest pin I ever saw.

I think this could be the worst so far. I definitely got a chill when I read it

[ancestral]

Was laying bricks on doorstep at age of 6, and jumping over them continuously. I stepped on Lego and slipped away on my heads back.

Was winter, car did not start up due to cold as my father tells, got into hospital with cab, had 32 stitches on the back of my head and a skull crack.

Probably one of the most serious Lego related injuries you will ever hear.

Didn't give up of course. :)

[CrazyDalton777]

I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, there were no lights on and for some reason I walked into the wrong room. The room turned out to be the room housing the start of my city, I then slipped on one of my two DeLoreon's and landed on the other DeLoreon and it happened to be the one with Mr Fusion sticking up in the butt regions. Me and my DeLoreon's were fine though.