Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 AT 7:52 PM
KSDUST
- MEMBER
- 2007 CHEVROLET IMPALA
- 6 CYL
- FWD
- AUTOMATIC
- 14,500 MILES
2007 Chevy Impala an injury: maybe from the electrical syst
6 Replies
BUDDYCRAIGG
- MECHANIC
- 2,262 POSTS
Wow, that looks like it hurts.
What's your question?
What's your question?
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 AT 9:50 PM
BUDDYCRAIGG
- MECHANIC
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The OP's email to me
My question was what I sent to you, but in case you didn't get it--
I got what I think is an electrical burn on my leg when riding in the passenger seat in our car on Monday. I think it must have been from an arc from the wires running through the dash of the car. Whatever it was I felt the pain then we heard a pop or bang. The car is at the repair shop now but they don't have any answers yet.
My question was what I sent to you, but in case you didn't get it--
I got what I think is an electrical burn on my leg when riding in the passenger seat in our car on Monday. I think it must have been from an arc from the wires running through the dash of the car. Whatever it was I felt the pain then we heard a pop or bang. The car is at the repair shop now but they don't have any answers yet.
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 AT 10:05 PM
BUDDYCRAIGG
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From the link the OP posted
Here's my account of what happened on June 22. 2009.
We got a "new" car on June 5, a 2007 Chevy Impala. It was like new with only 12300 miles. June 22 I was riding in the front passenger seat as my husband was parking the car and what I think happened is my leg above my ankle was zapped from a short or an arc in the wiring system. The car is in the shop now but nothing has been found yet. I have a big red mark on my leg. The only thing I know for sure is this: my husband had pulled into the parking spot. The car was still turned on, we don't know if he had or was at the time putting the car into park. I felt a pain in my leg, yelled, we heard a loud bang or pop. And that was it. It seemed as though "something" had reached down and grabbed my leg and disappeared, like a wire shot down then wrapped around on each side of my leg but not to the back, then was retracted. But that doesn't seem possible and the electrical burn theory makes more sense. My doctor agrees though he sure can't figure out how it happened. The injury isn't like a cut. It didn't bleed though it is red with blood, more than at first. It is sore and hurts sometimes and it sure did at first but never like a burn with a hot item would.
Here's my account of what happened on June 22. 2009.
We got a "new" car on June 5, a 2007 Chevy Impala. It was like new with only 12300 miles. June 22 I was riding in the front passenger seat as my husband was parking the car and what I think happened is my leg above my ankle was zapped from a short or an arc in the wiring system. The car is in the shop now but nothing has been found yet. I have a big red mark on my leg. The only thing I know for sure is this: my husband had pulled into the parking spot. The car was still turned on, we don't know if he had or was at the time putting the car into park. I felt a pain in my leg, yelled, we heard a loud bang or pop. And that was it. It seemed as though "something" had reached down and grabbed my leg and disappeared, like a wire shot down then wrapped around on each side of my leg but not to the back, then was retracted. But that doesn't seem possible and the electrical burn theory makes more sense. My doctor agrees though he sure can't figure out how it happened. The injury isn't like a cut. It didn't bleed though it is red with blood, more than at first. It is sore and hurts sometimes and it sure did at first but never like a burn with a hot item would.
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 AT 10:05 PM
BUDDYCRAIGG
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I've been shocked by 12 volts before.
I've been shocked by 40,000 volts from ignition coils before.
Those times left no visual damage
I caught my wedding ring between the lug on a starter and the frame before. That was like any other heat related burn and I lost skin and had blisters.
That looks like a "wound" for lack of a better word, from a garrote.
I have two theories.
Neither one sounds possible.
There was a "boobie" trap under the passenger seat and yanked some sort of hooped wire under the seat and hurt your leg.
Or
there was something wrapped around your leg and hanging out of your closed door.
(haven't you seen someone with their rain coat shut in the door)
and this thing that was wrapped around your leg got caught under a tire while your husband was parking and got pulled tight against your leg.
It finally broke and was the caused of the "bang or pop" sound you heard.
The pulling tight against your leg, and the popping would have probably seems simultaneous.
Feel free to call me an idiot.
I've been around cars all my life.
I've seen people get a finger cut off by a fan blade.
I've seen chunks of hair get pulled out by a drive shaft.
But I have never seen anything like your wound.
I've been shocked by 40,000 volts from ignition coils before.
Those times left no visual damage
I caught my wedding ring between the lug on a starter and the frame before. That was like any other heat related burn and I lost skin and had blisters.
That looks like a "wound" for lack of a better word, from a garrote.
I have two theories.
Neither one sounds possible.
There was a "boobie" trap under the passenger seat and yanked some sort of hooped wire under the seat and hurt your leg.
Or
there was something wrapped around your leg and hanging out of your closed door.
(haven't you seen someone with their rain coat shut in the door)
and this thing that was wrapped around your leg got caught under a tire while your husband was parking and got pulled tight against your leg.
It finally broke and was the caused of the "bang or pop" sound you heard.
The pulling tight against your leg, and the popping would have probably seems simultaneous.
Feel free to call me an idiot.
I've been around cars all my life.
I've seen people get a finger cut off by a fan blade.
I've seen chunks of hair get pulled out by a drive shaft.
But I have never seen anything like your wound.
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Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 AT 11:03 PM
KSDUST
- MEMBER
- 2 POSTS
Buddy, thanks for your answers. The things you suggest could all be possible in some situations and everything has to be considered. At first I thought "something" had dropped down out of the bottom of the dash, wrapped around my leg and had been retracted, all in a second of time. But there is no evidence of anything physical. And the two inches on the back of my leg were not injured and it's not sore there. There is soreness and little redness both above and below the injury but there is no bruising. There wasn't any bleeding at time. There is some now, from the surface, if I put a strip of gauze on with an ointment then later remove it. That's what happened in the night so I got up early. It's become stiff and hurt some. The doctor gave me a prescription for an antibiotic to take if necessary so I may do that.
But back to what I do know: there was nothing but the carpet mat on the floor of the car. There was nothing around my leg. I was wearing capri pants and sandals, no straps and nothing covered the area that was hurt. When it happened it was as if something grabbed my leg and so I yanked it away. We heard a loud pop or bang.
I don't know why but I think my feet weren't exactly in the center of the floor mat but a little toward the door so my right foot would have been not too far from the fuse box.
I don't know just what would happen if there had been an arc of electricity. In this case it seems it would have had to come down across my leg, passed through my leg and burned the outside edges but not the back. When I say leg I mean about two inches above my ankle and if my foot had been tilted upwards and partially on the door that would have made an angle so that something coming down from above would hit it when traveling to the floor of the car. I don't know if it would be possible for any "sparks" to come out of the fuse box.
I know I'm "one in a million, " lol! But since this happened once it could again. The Chevy repair people will be trying to find an answer. I sure hope they do, they didn't yesterday. I'll let you know what they say today which is Thursday.
But back to what I do know: there was nothing but the carpet mat on the floor of the car. There was nothing around my leg. I was wearing capri pants and sandals, no straps and nothing covered the area that was hurt. When it happened it was as if something grabbed my leg and so I yanked it away. We heard a loud pop or bang.
I don't know why but I think my feet weren't exactly in the center of the floor mat but a little toward the door so my right foot would have been not too far from the fuse box.
I don't know just what would happen if there had been an arc of electricity. In this case it seems it would have had to come down across my leg, passed through my leg and burned the outside edges but not the back. When I say leg I mean about two inches above my ankle and if my foot had been tilted upwards and partially on the door that would have made an angle so that something coming down from above would hit it when traveling to the floor of the car. I don't know if it would be possible for any "sparks" to come out of the fuse box.
I know I'm "one in a million, " lol! But since this happened once it could again. The Chevy repair people will be trying to find an answer. I sure hope they do, they didn't yesterday. I'll let you know what they say today which is Thursday.
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Thursday, June 25th, 2009 AT 5:33 AM
BUDDYCRAIGG
- MECHANIC
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About the possibility of it being from an arc of electricity from the fuse box.
It takes 10,000 volts to arc through 1 inch in normal air.
Your car runs on 12 volts
The only places that have higher voltage than that is the ignition coils, and on some cars that have HID headlights
So it really couldn't be from electricity.
I would be interested to know what you ultimately discover.
It takes 10,000 volts to arc through 1 inch in normal air.
Your car runs on 12 volts
The only places that have higher voltage than that is the ignition coils, and on some cars that have HID headlights
So it really couldn't be from electricity.
I would be interested to know what you ultimately discover.
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Thursday, June 25th, 2009 AT 9:50 AM
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