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As most of you know, I am a big guy with serious mobility issues (arthritis, bum knees, etc). I can’t go from room to splashbar, let alone to convention activities or other casinos without some help. So I rent a scooter.
This year, I rented from a new company; the one I had used for many previous trips had gone under. I got a scooter that was able to handle my weight, but I admit I didn’t like it as much as the one I had from the other company. It didn’t ride as smoothly, wasn’t as comfortable, and it had a tendency to roll a little if not on totally flat ground. But I got a good price, and it was a company that had been around awhile.
I had been using the scooter for several days before the convention. But on Wednesday (actually early Thursday morning) it went nuts.
I had attended the banquet-as an aside, I was very disappointed with the quality of the food, but really was pleased with the spirit that so many of the members adopted the theme of the night, it is hard to do it, but there were a bunch of folks who were weirder than Fred Hempel who wore a hot dog on his head. After the banquet, I was running around trying to finish up the chicagoland personals. We had a meeting scheduled for the next morning, and I wanted to be done with them at that meeting (best laid plans…). I did get a lot done, but was going to have to wait to finish later.
I went down to splashbar and socialized (I don’t generally drink, but a cold pop is always appreciated). I visited, then gambled, and then visited some more. At dinner, Shoop learned his brother was back in the hospital, so he was leaving for home, so I got his personals from him so I could try and do some trading for him. I had no way of knowing his Von McKenzie chips had a hex on them.
I spent some of the time at splashbar trading personals for shoop, myself and Pam Holmgren who hadn’t been able to attend. So I had a lot of chips in my basket, cash on me (I thought I had the chicagoland money in my bag also, fortunately I didn’t, more on that).
It began to be a pretty late night. Who would expect a late night at the convention? I was at a table with Von and his wife. This is after I persuaded him that posing with his wife the same way I had posed with him was a bad idea. I hope he and Greg post the pics that are related to this reference.
We were playing blackjack, and up to that point Von had seemed to have the magic touch, but the table was a killer, and I had lost my limit and he took a real bad beat for a bunch (wife couldn’t have been more pleased). So I decided to go to bed, besides I needed to use the bathroom.
I made the rounds saying good night, and headed for the elevator. I had a handicap accessible room, so I was in a different area than most of the club members. I used the elevators that were directly across from the entrance on the south side of the hotel.
I scootered into the area where the elevators were, and there was a pretty girl standing there. I tried to flirt (used some lame comment about the new ice show), and she was not interested in the slightest. I wonder if she was like the girls Doug and I had been inundated with the year before-she did take off pretty quick.
So I turned around and parked in front of an elevator, stopped, and began to readjust myself so I could reach the button. I hadn’t even begun to reach over yet, and suddenly the scooter shot forward. I keep it on the slow setting (scooters allow you to set it for full speed or restricted speed with a button-you can also adjust the max speed from turtle to rabbit, and with how much pressure you apply to the power-I usually set it on the restricted setting inside), but this was full speed ahead.
I was only a foot or two from the elevator door, but the scooter took off like a shot. I hit the elevator door and it gave way like it was nothing. Sadly there was no type of safety device on the elevator (I asked the security guy why when I was lying on the ground but he never answered me). The elevator doors were attached by almost nothing at the bottom and were on a roller at the top. Imagine sliding closet doors. The doors just peeled away and there I was falling.
It may sound silly, but while falling everything went into slow motion. I felt like I was able to look around, and even thought that this f***ing suc*ed. When I landed I was not knocked out (if I was out, I don’t remember it). I did find myself in an incredibly painful position. I don’t know how many of you have ever seen the bottom of an elevator shaft, but I have become intimately familiar with at least the one at the Riviera.
They are very dirty, and there is a bunch of junk at the bottom. How some of the stuff got there I will never know. There are various bars and a ladder and a big spring thing that the elevator rests on. It is also dark and crowded.
I landed with my head and shoulders on the floor. My legs were wrapped up in the scooter which was caught on the big springy thing. The scooter weighs about 250 pounds. You can imagine how much that sucked, but fortunately my legs came out of it relatively OK.
My first thoughts after realizing I was alive was how was I going to get out of this? I really figured all I had to do was get untangled from the scooter, pull myself up to my feet, and figure out how to muscle the scooter out of the shaft. I tried to untangle myself, and determined that my arm and head hurt a lot, and I was unable to get untangled.
At that point I called out for help. Security arrived almost immediately, and a guy I understand was the shift boss, climbed down into the shaft. He assisted me in getting the scooter off me and out of the shaft. At this point I realized I could not get myself up, and the pain was increasing (couldn’t even move my left arm).
Understandably, the security guys main concern was to insure the elevator would not come down on us, and that seemed to be a more difficult task than one would presume. It turned out there was a button that could be pushed. The security guy used my crutch to push the button-interestingly I was assured later there was not a crutch in the elevator-go figure.
When we were assured of safety, the next issue was getting me up and out of the shaft. That was a longer process than the others. It was about this time I decided that I needed a non-Riviera witness present, and asked they page Von. I asked several times, becoming more insistent. I understand they found him at a table and had him come with them. It is a funny story, so I hope Von will share it in response to this post.
When Von arrived my stress level went way down, even when he laughed at me. I can’t recall the entire conversation, but the gist of it was…
Von- Are you OK?
Aaron- Yeah I am good (said sarcastically),
Later
Aaron- Von Take pictures.
Von- I am already on it.
This was yelled back and forth while I was seated in shaft. I also asked Von to call my dad, which he did (at about 4:30 Indiana time). My dad was thrilled as you can imagine. My understanding is Neal Silverman took photos with Von’s phone.
While the discussion was allover the place, I appreciated the fact that they wanted to insure I was hurt worse. I failed to mention that by now it is the Fire & Rescue in charge. Firemen are great. They finally put me on a blanket carry thing, but moved me to a board whish they then slid out of the shaft. I was then transferred to a cart for the ambulance and put into the ambulance.
The girl (I do mean woman) who cared for me during the ride was great, she was also cute as heck, and I tried flirting, again without success. I did ask Von to go with me, which he did. I began thinking down the line, so I began asking for a BAC test to show no alcohol in my system. It took hours to get the test although I was asking the whole time.
They took me to Sunset, or sunrise, or sunburn, or whatever the name of the dump was. My experience at the hospital was worse emotionally than the actual accident. I arrived; they got me located, and did an initial examination. From that point on, I was ignored and allowed to suffer. Von was there for a while, but eventually he had to go back and get some sleep.
While at the hospital, they didn’t put me in the bed in manner that was comfortable, so the rise hit my back rather than at my hips, they were bothered by my need to use the bathroom, and apparently they could care more if I wasn’t so fat. Mike Pasternack had to be my cousin to get in to see me, and when Geri Hempel arrived she went all ghetto on the hospital.
Mike encouraged me to be my friendly self, rather than my lawyer self, but ultimately it did no good. Mike did go beyond the call of duty, and thank you again for that.
When Geri arrived, she took one look at me, and I thought she was going to hurt someone. They had not even washed my hands or face, so she did, and helped me brush my teeth. She also had conversations with a few folks, and was there to assist me when I spoke to the doctors. She was and is an angel.
I also spoke to several folks at the convention, Christine Smith, Archie’s wife, and someone whose name I never got. Everybody was great. But I was so happy to be out of that crummy hospital. Geri came and picked me up and was great helping me get back to the hotel.
I was able to at least some of the stuff Sat, but in truth I wanted to sleep. Before I left Vegas, I slept for two days at the Rio andthey were great, and got to visit with Tyrus so it was not all lousy.
I hope this helps clarify a few things. What happens now is up in the air, but I suggest you skip that particular activity when you travel to Vegas.
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