Posted by trnsa_IL on 7/7/09 11:35am
Msg #294869

I hope this never happens again.....

I arrived at the borrowers home yesterday afternoon. Their home was just gorgeous; beautifully landscaped outside and tastefully decorated within.

I was led into the kitchen to a large, round, glass table with ornate heavy iron chairs. As I began to unpack my briefcase the wife came around the table and began pulling on the legs of the chair I was about to sit down in. She commented that one of their chairs had a loose leg, but it was not this chair. You can only imagine what happened next!

We were about half way through the paperwork when I leaned slightly forward, reaching across the table to retrieve the document the wife had just signed. In my mind everything went into slow motion, but in reality it happened in a flash. The leg of the chair began to slide backward catching my leg between the large iron leg of the chair and the bottom of my seat, and my head was racing toward the glass table top.

The next thing I knew I was laying in the floor with my leg caught under the chair which was amazingly heavy, and I was mortified!! The couple was horrified and kept apologizing over and over again.

Luckily my head somehow missed the table, and all I have is a bruise on my leg. However, when the chair fell, it broke a ceramic pot they had on the floor by the wall. I was so embarrased!

I have had strange or funny things happen at signings, but this was definitely a first, and hopefully a last, for me!

Tonya

Reply by Cari on 7/7/09 11:40am
Msg #294870

OMG!...glad you're okay!!! n/m

Reply by notaryinmo on 7/7/09 11:42am
Msg #294871

Tonya - I'm glad that all you suffered was a bruise. Things could have been much worse for you. As far as the ceramic pot and the chair breaking, those things can be replaced. You can't.

Reply by sue_pa on 7/7/09 11:57am
Msg #294872

I am amazed at how many wobbly kitchen chairs I sit in. Houses are nice ... even some of the upscale homes ... but the kitchen chairs have seen their better days wobbling, padded seats with no middle left in them, chairs on wheels what tilt to one side, etc. The worst are the teeny little antiquey chairs that are made for people no taller than 5'. I guess it's like the beeping smoke detector ... drives me nuts but they must somehow be used to it.

Reply by Ocean Pacific Notary Services, Inc. on 7/7/09 12:17pm
Msg #294874

Watch it sue - I am under 5' no short people references please.(snicker)

Reply by Stamper_WI on 7/7/09 12:41pm
Msg #294876

I thought the vomiting child was bad

At least I came out unscathed! Hope you heal fast

Reply by Shoshana Roller on 7/7/09 12:51pm
Msg #294879

This is terrible. I am so glad you are ok. Your guardian angel was looking out for you.
I am always super careful when I sit on chairs or counter stools at the borrowers' home. I have 2 artificial knees. If I fell, I would have a major problem getting up becuase I cannot kneel. I also ask them to lock up their dogs. I am afraid of a dog jumping on me and knocking me down.

Reply by MW/VA on 7/7/09 1:22pm
Msg #294881

Glad to hear you're ok. It sounds like you could have been very seriously injured. Some would consider a lawsuit.

Reply by Linda Juenger on 7/7/09 1:42pm
Msg #294888

So very glad you are ok. What an experience.

Our job does have certain risks. We are in unfamiliar surroundings and we need to pay attention on where we walk and sit. Sometimes just walking to a table is a risk. There is so much junk ( a fireman's nightmare) Some homes are such a hazard to the borrowers, much less us. We have to be very careful. You had no way of knowing that this chair would collapse like it did and to me the borrowers should have made sure you didn't have the broken one. Its water under the bridge now and you thankfully are not seriously hurt (except your pride). A reminder to us all to be very careful and even in the homes that we think are safe, something can always go wrong. Thank goodness you are ok.

Reply by trnsa_IL on 7/7/09 1:53pm
Msg #294890

I should add that when I relayed this experience to my

husband he immediately checked our own kitchen chairs and has removed 2 of the 8 due to being wobbly and in his opinion unsafe. It is interesting that sometimes it takes an incident like this one to realize what we need to do ourselves.

And, yes, I feel blessed to be basically unharmed by this. It could have been much worse.

Tonya

Reply by BrendaTx on 7/7/09 2:53pm
Msg #294899

My mother rocks back in my chairs

at my dining table and I think that is the DUMBEST thing I have ever seen a 76 yr old woman do.

She gets mad when I tell her not to, but at least it keeps her head in tact while she's at my house. Ugh. It drives me crazy...it's very unsafe.

Reply by Joan_OH on 7/7/09 1:58pm
Msg #294892

Ouch! About 4 years ago....

I went through a screened door. It was open the whole time we were signing. While I'm standing next to the sliding door getting ready to leave and chatting with the borrowers, one of the kids slid it closed and I didn't realize it. Next thing you know, brief case is flying while I'm trying to stay vertical as I trip through the screen. Wife laughed so hard she peed her pants and ran off to the bathroom. I guess I looked like one of those slow motion cartoons where you can see whats about to happen but can do nothing to stop it.

I got my check book out, paid for the damage and got out of there. It is my firm belief that you do EVERYTHING stupid once. I did, however, email TCT and explained what I did in case anyone complained and that I did pay for the damage. I believe that email was forwarded to everyone that worked there - kinda like the joke of the day.

:-)

Joan-OH

Reply by Bob_Chicago on 7/7/09 2:11pm
Msg #294893

Never realized that NSA work was a contact sport.

Few years back I was leaving a house in Winter.
Slipped on icy steps and missed cracking my head open
on a brick wall corner by about an inch.
As they said on the old cop show. "Be carefull out there!!"

Reply by Dorothy_MI on 7/7/09 2:35pm
Msg #294896

About 5-1/2 years ago

I was leaving a client's house via the garage/kitchen door. As I was walking through the door, borrowers said something to me. I answered them and the next thing I knew I was laying on top of my brief case at the bottom of 4 steps (they had me use the kitchen door because it had snowed and he hadn't shoveled the front steps. Long story short, broken left ankle, broken right foot, very serious sprain in right ankle. 7+ weeks in a wheel chair! It is no laughing matter. The home owners insurance did cover my lost wages and medical, plus the cost of my full time care giver which was necessary because with both ankles out of commission I couldn't use crutches and I live alone. I'd suggest you get checked out to make sure it was only minor damages to you. The devil with the furniture and there is NO WAY I'd be offering to pay for any damages. They are just lucky you don't sue. (This is also for Bob, the screen door incident and the original post). I've never been a suit happy person, but if their negligence cause me harm and lost wages, I'm going to collect!

Reply by CH2inCA on 7/7/09 2:55pm
Msg #294901

I'm glad to hear you're ok! I agree with Dorothy, get yourself checked out!! OT a tiny bit, my sister had a similar injury and later on had to have knee replacement surgery...

BUT, while on the subject of bizarre above and beyond the call of duty; I was once chased and bitten by a goose. Leaving the job, it chased me all the way to the car and caught my bottom at the very last. Beware of goose never mind the pit bull. You'd be proud...I didn't throw my journal at the beast.

I've had a job where the Ms was plucking a chicken in the room...yuck. No hazard there, just a quesy tummy.

And I've had a signing where the Mr (significant other) was asleep on the couch, again no hazard but a quesy tummy. I suspect he was awake the whole time; but I dared not poke him to find out. :0) I thought about leaving, but 100 bucks is 100 bucks!!

Hope you're still feeling ok, a day later!!