Originally posted by MikeLastort2
Yeah, she got injured on the job.
She was working a restaurant outside of DC, a place called "The Castle," which no longer exists. She was working with an apprentice, showing him how to make some dough for some desserts they were making. She was mixing the dough in one of those huge 40 quart Hobart mixers.
The machine has two on-off switches, one on either side. She turned it off to reach in and feel the consistency of the dough. Her apprentice didn't realize she turned the machine off, so hit the other power switch while her hand was still in the mixer. She pulled her hand out, but not before the arm came around again and caught her wrist between the dough hook and the side of the mixer.
Basically, she shattered every bone in her wrist. Luckily, she didn't lose her hand. She ended up with a 20% disability, which was enough to make her end her career.
After it happened, she started getting calls from the hospital where she had surgery, saying she owed them money. She said insurance should cover it and the hospital told her she had none. Essentially the restaurant had embezzled her (and everyone else's) insurance premiums, workmen's comp insurance, et al. They were going out of business and decided to risk their employees' health by stealing from them.
She managed to get the state of Maryland to pay for her surgery under the "uninsured workers' fund" but didn't get anything for career retraining because the workmen's comp covers that.
She worked at Galileo for about six months after that happened, but found that the injury prevented her from doing a lot of the more delicate work required for desserts.
wow mike that is really unfortunate...and then to top it off her restaurant was scamming her <and everyone else> behind her back without any knowledge. what a joke that companies get away with that...and i bet nothing ever happened to the owners that embezzled.
She really misses it.
i bet she makes you some nice desserts at home though :)